Blood Stained Steel
by Grimjawa
Summary: Michael had done everything in his power to save Vault 101 when his long time friend had asked for his aid. Then afterwards, she forced him to leave the only home he'd every known, never returning. Now she stood on his doorstep, begging for his help once more.
1. A Knock at the Door

She felt like she'd been standing in the same spot trying to work up the courage to knock on the door for several an eternity, and could probably stand there for another. Amata needed help, and didn't really have anywhere else to turn to, but even so, asking _him_ wasn't something she particularly felt comfortable doing. She doubted he would even agree to help, especially after their last few exchanges.

But two lives might've been in jeopardy, so Amata pushed her personal feelings aside, and knocked lightly on the door, hopiong for a response. She turned and looked back at Megaton below. Amata hadn't been to the scrap iron city many times before; only once when Vault City was first opened, and she never even came into town, just met the sheriff on the outside to introduce herself.

The town was quiet in the early morning since most of the residents weren't even out and about yet. Really the only person she saw on the way in was the guard that stood on the balcony above the gate.

Amata knocked on the door again when there was no response, only a little harder. She could hear movement on the other side of the door and a voice.

"Enough with the damn knocking! I'm comin'," the man said. His voice was still the same as Amata remembered.

The door opened and standing before Amata in an undershirt and boxers was her childhood friend, Michael Desmond. The long blonde hair that he used to have in Vault 101 was cut short and was way messier than before. Because of his lack of clothing, Amata could clearly see the muscle tone on his arms and chest, something she didn't recall him having when they were younger. She could also see the blue tattoo on his upper arm. It was the Lyon's Pride insignia, the sword, wings and lion rampant beautifully inked into his skin. He looked so different to her.

Michael's dark green eyes seemed to assess Amata, looking at her like he was trying to figure out if she was an illusion. There was a long pause before he finally asked, "What're _you_ doing here?"

"Nice way to greet a girl…" Amata laughed self-consciously.

"What were you expecting, a parade? We don't see each other for over a year, and then you just show up on my doorstep," Michael said, cracking a smile. "Your face is one of the last ones I expected to see outside my door."

Amata sighed and dropped her gaze. "Listen, I know I'm the last person that should ask for it, but I really need your help again."

The desperation in her voice was heard clear as a bell. Michael stepped aside and allowed her to come in.

Amata nodded in thanks and walked through the threshold. The inside of Michael's place was decorated with what seemed to be trophies from out in the wastes. There were old books on shelves, a pristine white Yao Gaui skull sat on the coffee table and a thin short sword hanging on the wall. Amata wondered what kind of stories were behind the dozens of items.

Michael walked into the small open kitchen at the back of the house and got a beer out of the fridge. He glanced back at Amata who was just standing by the door, her hands at her sides.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, not really knowing what to say to her.

Amata shook her head and Michael popped the beer bottle open. He flopped onto the faded blue sofa and kicked his feet up. "So, what's wrong? It's serious isn't it?"

"You can tell?"

"I've always been able to tell, Amata."

Michael was always able to read Amata like a book, even when they were kids. She was never able to tell him a lie because he'd call her on it every single time.

Amata took a deep breath and said, "I came here because I need your help... Someone from Vault City is missing and I don't know what to do."

Michael knew Amata was in over her head when she opened the Vault up and renamed it Vault City. She had absolutely no experience with the wasteland, none of the people in Vault City did. But they stuck together and helped each other out, which was how they survived this long. Being so close to Megaton for trading helped out a lot too.

"Alright, start from the beginning. Explain what happened," Michael said.

"Wally and Fred – you remember them, right? They would go out and try to scavenge supplies whenever we needed it, like if Andy malfunctioned, they would look for the parts to fix him," Amata explained. "Well, two weeks ago, we were expecting a delivery of Aqua Pura that never came. On top of that, Stanley said that the city's life support systems were finally starting to break down. We didn't have any clean water and were gonna' run out of air, so Wally and Freddie asked Stanley what he needed to try and fix the systems, and left Vault City." While she was telling her tale, Amata had unknowingly started to pace back and forth, wringing her hands together nervously. "Wally would send us a transmission every night over a special channel to let us know where they were and that they were alright. Two days ago the transmissions stopped, and Wally's sister is losing it."

Michael hadn't drunk any of his beer, just listened intently to Amata's story, bothered by one part in particular, the part of the story that Amata didn't seem to pay that much attention to: the Aqua Pura delivery that didn't make it to Vault City. The Brotherhood of Steel was personally handling the deliveries, with some help from Rivet City security. If the Aqua Pura didn't make it to Vault City that meant something happened to the team that was supposed to take it there. This just became a Brotherhood issue, meaning Michael had to bring it up with Sarah Lyons, if she didn't already know about it, that is.

"Alright, I'll help," he told her, sitting the untouched beer down on the table and standing.

Amata breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know if he was going to agree to help her or not, after all she put him through. "Thank you so much, Michael!"

"Yeah…" Michael said heading up the stairs to the second floor of his home. "Just gimme' a few minutes."

"Okay," Amata said.

Amata took a seat on the sofa and ran her fingers through her hair. The stress of running Vault City was starting to get to her, but she tried not to let anyone see, she didn't want people to worry. Michael agreeing to help her was the first time she felt relieved since before she accepted the job. She was glad.

She glanced over to her left and saw the old Grognak the Barbarian comic book she'd given Michael for his tenth birthday sitting with his other books on the shelf by the sofa. Amata reached over and picked it up, smiling at the colorful illustrations on the worn pages of Grognak running around, battling giant monsters and evil wizards. It made her feel like she was ten years old again.

Amata heard heavy footsteps stomping down the stairs and turned around. Michael descended the staircase, clad in a full suit of Brotherhood of Steel power armor, except the helmet which he carried under his arm. The armor was a little dinged up with little scratches and scorch marks here and there, but it still looked sturdy.

She stared up at the imposing figure for longer than intended.

"It's impolite to stare, Amata."

"I'm sorry, you just look amazing," Amata said.

"Yeah, well I thought I'd get all dolled up for ya'."

He picked up the green duffle bag hanging from the coat rack and took it to the kitchen. He stuffed some food and clean water into the bag, slung it over his shoulder and approached his gun cabinet. He took a hunting rifle and a laser rifle out and shut the cabinet door.

"Come on, we have to tell Butch what's up," Michael said.

He and Amata left the house, walking along the catwalk toward Moriarty's bar. Michael spoke to members of the tiny community as they past, calling each and every one of them by name. It seemed there wasn't a peson in Megaton he didn't know.

"How long has Butch been living here?" Amata asked.

"About seven months. He didn't have a place to stay, so I told him about an empty house in town," Michael said as they walked into Moriarty's place.

The inside of the bar reeked of cheap alcohol, a smell that Michael was very much used to. He actually kind of liked the aroma now, but not when he first arrived in Megaton. It was something you just had to get used to as a patron of Moriarty's. There were plenty of better, and cleaner, places to get a stiff drink in the wastes, but Moriarty's had the best company.

Nova sat at one of the tables with Gob, talking about the lack of news coming out of GNR of late. She glanced over at the two who just entered the bar and smirked, black lipstick she bought off of one of the caravans coating her lips. She stood up and started a slow, deliberate walk over. She swayed her hips back and forth rythmically, like a sexual dance.

"Hey, hon, it's been a while," she said. Nova stood in front of Michael, her hand on her hip. "You wouldn't happen to be looking for me, would you?"

"Sorry, sweetheart, but no," Michael said.

Nova pouted and said, "Awe, that's too bad. You're gonna' be mine sooner or later, Mr. Lone wanderer." Nova was very insistant on having Michael for a little sleep-over, mainly because he was the only man in the entire town that she couldn't corral. He was her "white whale".

"Ever persistent, as usual," Michael smiled.

Nova returned the smile and winked. She then noticed Amata standing behind Michael and raised an eyebrow. "Who's your friend?" she asked.

"This is Amata. She's an old acquiantance of mine."

Michael not describing Amata as a friend kind of disappointed her, but she understood why. Michael wasn't her friend anymore.

"Hey, Nova, where's Butch? I need to talk to him," Michael said.

"He's in the back with a customer," Nova nodded toward the back of the bar.

"Thanks," Michael said, walking away. He turned back and said, "Amata, just hang here. I"ll only be a second."

"Alright..." she replied.

Michael walked to the room off of the main bar, nodding to Gob as he passed by his table. He didn't see Moriarty anywhere, so he must've been on the second floor of the bar, sleeping. Michael stepped into the back room and found Butch standing behind a young man, one of the goers to the Church of Atom, cutting his black hair with a pair of scissors.

Butch looked up when Michael entered wearing his power armor, and said, "Hey Mike. Take a seat, man. I can get to you next."

"I'm not here for a shapeup, Butch."

Butch noticed how serious Michael looked and asked, "What's up?"

"Amata's in the front with Nova and Gob. She said Wally Mack and Freddie Gomez have gone missing out in the wastes," Michael said. Butch stared at Mike, not even paying attention to his customer anymore. "I thought you'd want to come along to look for them."

"You're damn right I'm comin' along!" Butch shouted, flipping his scissors over and sliding them into a case in his back pocket. He walked over to a chair sitting against the wall, his gang's signature leather jacket draped over it. Butch snatched up the black jacket, slipping it on and heading out to the main bar with Michael.

"Hey, what about my hair?!" the man Butch was leaving asked.

Amata stood impatiently by the front door, talking with Nova and Gob.

Michael returned with Butch and said, "Let's go."

"Okay," Amata said.

"Hey, princess, long time no see," Butch said, addressing Amata.

Amata just sighed, remembering the stupid nickname he and the rest of the Tunnel Snakes had for her.

As they exited the bar, Nova called out and said, "Don't be a stranger."

"You got it, babe!" Butch said.

"I wasn't talking to you, sweetie," Nova replied coldly.

As they approached, a grey dog ran up to them, barking and jumping around. She looked to only be a few months old.

Michael knelt down before the pooch and began to pet her. "Hey, Athens. You be good while I'm gone, okay? Billy and Emily will watch out for ya'."

Michael said goodbye to Athens and they walked outside of Megaton and stopped. "So, uh, where're we headed, exactly?" Butch asked, putting a cigarette in his mouth. He searched the pockets of his jacket and pants, looking for his lighter. He found it in his back pocket and lit up.

"Wally's last transmission said they were going to some robot factory a little ways from Megaton to look for parts," Amata said.

"It's probably the RobCo factory near Tenpenny Tower. I know where it is," Michael said, beginning to walk.

The trio began their long walk under the scorching afternoon sun that beamed down onto their heads. Michael had already prepared himself mentally just in case Wally and Freddie were dead, and he suspected Butch had done the same. He didn't know about Amata though, if she was ready for the horrors the Capitol Wasteland would not only throw at her, but the residents of the city she presided over as well.

If Michael didn't help her, Amata was going to die out here, and she knew it. Michael was the only person she could turn to, the only person that could help her. Amata still remembered the day when her father had seemingly lost his mind and the Vault needed saving. When she called out, Michael returned in a heartbeat, covered in dust and carrying a large rifle, and did everything in his power to not only save the Vault but do no harm to the Overseer because of his relation to Amata. After all that, after he'd saved her home, Amata made Michael leave and said he could never return.

Now she needed his help again, and there he was, at her side. It didn't make any sense to Amata. Michael should've hated her, should've slammed the door in her face when she came to his home, but he didn't. He asked her what it was she needed.

It made Amata feel guilty, like she was a bad person for asking for Michael's help after all she'd put him through. She was starting to think that she was.

* * *

The lock finally clicked and Butch twisted the screwdriver in the doorknob, opening the door to the RobCo facility and he and his two traveling companions ran into the building to try to get out of the pouring rain that seemed to arrive out of nowhere.

The huge factory was just a stone's throw from Tenpenny Tower, and Michael thought it to be the most obvious place to scavenge for the parts that Vault City needed considering it wasn't anywhere near downtown D.C. where the supermutants were still thick. There wasn't a soul in the reception area, not even a radroach. Michael kept his laser rifle close just in case they weren't as alone as they appeared at the moment.

He looked back at Butch and Amata, the latter of which was completely drenched. When the downpour started, Butch was able to get his jacket up over his head, and Michael was wearing a full suit of armor, so he didn't feel a thing. Amata on the other hand was totally defenseless.

As the brunette tried to wring some of the water out of her hair, Michael threw the duffle bag he had been carrying down and unzipped it. Inside were a set of clothes he'd actually packed for himself, but he figured Amata needed them more than he did.

He handed them to her and said, "Here, you're gonna' get sick unless you change outta' that Vault suit." His voice was distorted by the radiation filter within his helmet. To Amata he sounded like a robot.

She took the pile of clothes and stared at Michael as he walked off. He looked up at the sign on the men's room sign on the wall and followed the arrow below it to the men's room around the corner. He walked inside the restroom, a stale smell hanging in the air. Michael approached every stall door and kicked them open. Once he was sure that the place was secure, Michael returned to Amata

"You can change in the restroom, I checked it out," he told her.

"Thanks…" Amata replied, surprised at how nice he was being to her.

After Amata had walked off to go change, Butch approached Michael and asked, "Is there any way the two of you could make this more awkward, Mike?"

"Probably, if we tried," Michael joked. He turned to Butch and said, "It's not like we're doing any of this on purpose. It's kinda' what happens when two people are inseparable for most of their lives, and then you're separated under the circumstances we were."

"Everyone in the Vault thought that you two were goin' to end up together. I still can't believe she made ya' leave."

"You're not the only one…"

There was loud, dull bang that echoed through the factory, making Butch jump. Michael's weapon came up and he looked down the iron sight, aiming down the hall where the sound came from. Amata came from out of the men's restroom wearing Michael's clothes, crouched down slightly with a shakey 10mm in her hand.

"What was that?" Butch asked. He shouldered his hunting rifle and got behind Michael.

"Maybe it's Wally, or Fred!" Amata said, a little too enthusiastically, stepping forward, preparing to head down the hall.

Michael grabbed a hold of her wrist and pulled her back. When she started to protest him holding her back, he just shook his head. "What if it's not?"

"We're gonna' have to check it out," Butch said.

Michael began to make his way down the hall, with Amata and Butch behind him respectively. The hall led to the factory area, where the robots RobCo manufactured would be assembled and stored. They went up the staircase leading to the catwalks that crisscrossed upward to the upper floors, Michael checking all his corners like Paladin Vargas had taught him.

There was silence all throughout the factory. All Michael could hear was his own breathing within the helmet that sat atop his head. The lack of noise made him nervous. He would at least like to hear a radroach scurrying around, or something.

As they went up another set of stairs on the catwalk, Michael glanced back at Amata and Butch. They were following him closely, and were alert, but Amata seemed jittery, like she was frightened. Michael could understand that. It was her first real time being outside Vault City.

All of a sudden the two of them looked up, past Michael, their eyes wide like they'd seen a ghost. Michael swiveled his head around, following their gaze and saw the huge, unnaturally muscular, yellow-skinned, figure standing not four feet in front of him at the top of the metal staircase.

The supermutant's bulbous eyes watched them, Michael specifically, its muscles flexing with glowing green veins visible through the skin. It roared, swinging the long steel pipe it had in its grip at Michael's head. His reflexes kicked in hard, making him duck down and rushed forward with his shoulder to try and tackle the mutant.

As he attempted to knock the supermutant off balance, the beast grabbed the shoulder plate of Michael's armor and threw him backward. Amata's eyes watched as Michael's form flew over their heads back down the stairs. He landed on his back and began to roll violently down the staircase, not stopping until he hit the rail where the stairs turned right.

Butch had already raised the hunting rifle and put a round in the supermutant's face. He ejected the shell from the hunting rifle and prepared to fire another, but the angered monster reached out, wrapping its hand around barrel and raising the other hand that wielded the steel pipe to strike.

Butch dodged left, grabbed Amata's collar and yanked her back, getting her as far away from the mutant as possible. Once she was behind him, Butch released his grip on the rifle that the yellow freak had tried to take, letting the mutant have it. The mutant became confident and laughed, but didn't expect Butch to pull a pair of scissors from his back pocket. He jumped up and rammed the scissors into the mutant's forehead, scrambling whatever brain was left in its skull.

The mutant screamed, and toppled, falling over the railing, plummeting to the floor belo and landing on its neck. If that didn't kill it, Butch didn't know what would. He looked back and saw Amata standing behind him, shaking and gripping the pistol in her hand tightly. He looked past her and saw Michael struggling to stand up.

Butch rushed down to Michael and asked, "Are you okay, Mike?"

Mike took a second to answer and said, "Yeah, he just rung my bell…"

"Good, 'cause you owe me a pair of scissors, man." Butch cast his gaze on Amata again and asked, "You starting to regret bringing princess along?"

Michael removed his helm, trying to shake the ringing in his ears, and said, "Nothing we could do about it, Butch. She's gotta' be here, these are her people, remember."

Butch grit his teeth and asked, "So, what're the chances there was only one mutie in here?"

"Slim to none."

Amata looked down by her foot, still shaking like a puppy that'd just come out of the bath, and saw a silver nameplate bracelet with a snake engraved into it. She picked it up and saw that it was covered in a thick red liquid.

Butch walked over to see what had Amata's attention so wrapped and bit his lip when he saw the bracelet.

"What's the matter?" Michael asked.

"It's Wally's bracelet," Butch said, cursing under his breath.


	2. Phantoms Haunting Rob-Co

"Shit, shit, shit," Butch mumbled to himself as he leaned over the railing of the catwalk.

"Oh, god, they're dead," Amata said, clutching the bloody piece of silver. "They're dead…"

"Maybe not," Michael said donning his helmet and picking his laser rifle up off of the stairs.

"You can't be serious, man," Butch said. "There're probably dozens of supermutants in here! There's no way two guys who have no experience with fighting these things coulda' made it outta' here."

Michael put his hand on Butch's shoulder and said, "I coulda'."

"Well, that's different, you're a freak…" Butch said.

Michael headed up the stairs to the hall that the supermutant must've come from. There were trickles of dried blood along the floor, heading further and further down the dark hall.

Michael returned to where Butch and Amata were and said, "Come on, they might still be alive."

"What?" Butch asked, disbelieving.

"There's a trail of blood heading deeper into the factory, human blood. This place is huge, they could be hiding out," Michael said.

Butch nodded slowly and said, "Alright, let's look."

Amata hadn't responded to Michael's words, just continued to hold onto the bracelet. She probably didn't even hear him, lost in her own thoughts. Michael walked over to her and turned her so she was facing him.

"Amata, we need to look for Wally and Fred," Michael said sternly, trying to get her undivided attention. Amata got the message and slowly nodded. "Stay close to Butch, okay?" She nodded again.

They began to follow the trail of blood like breadcrumbs. There was barely any light within the factory, but Michael refused to switch his pip-boy's light on. If there were more muties, Michael wanted to try and avoid them if at all possible.

The small trickles of blood spattered on the floor began to increase in size and quantity, meaning that whoever _was_ bleeding, emphasis on was, might've been dead by now. But Michael wasn't leaving until he found proof, whether that was a body, or a gore bag.

Michael saw a small room up ahead on the right that the trail past by. Even though the blood didn't go into the room, he stopped anyway and peeked in. It was a cafeteria with five large figures standing in the blackness, screaming at each other. They seemed to be arguing about who was smarter.

Butch tapped Michael on the shoulder and asked, "What's in there?"

"Muties, five of them."

"Well, let's get in there and kick their asses," Butch suggested.

"No, let's let them finish their little debate..."

They continued to follow the blood and it continued to get darker inside the factory, almost to the point where Michael couldn't see where the hell he was going. When they came to an intersection in the hall, Michael stopped dead in his tracks and held his hand up, making sure Butch and Amata did they same.

"What's wro-" Butch started to say.

When Michael shushed him, Butch got the message. A mutie walked right in front of them, bigger than the others that Michael had seen in the factory so far. It fit the Brotherhood of Steel's definition of a master level mutant. Masters were always more experienced than the other mutants throughout the wastes, a little more intelligent too.

Michael sat his rifle down on the floor as softly as possible, and drew the long, serrated combat knife that was sheathed on his armor's outer thigh. He snuck up behind the oblivious mutant and slashed its leg right beneath its calf, cutting where its Achilles tendon would be. When the monster fell to one knee in pain, Michael quickly stepped in front of it, grabbed it's head with his free hand and slashed its neck.

"Whoa, dude, you killed that thing without breaking a sweat!" Butch said.

"DeLoria, I kill freaks for a living," Michael said, swinging his blade downward to get some of the blood off.

Michael looked down at the blood to see where it was leading them next and said, "I think we're getting close. They shouldn't be that much further ahead."

"Gotcha'," Butch responded.

"You doing alright back there, Amata?" Michael asked.

There was no response from Amata, only silence. "Amata?" Butch called out.

Michael spun around and switched his pip-boy light on, shining it up and down the hall. She was nowhere to be found.

"Shit," Michael spat.

"She was right fucking behind me!" Butch said, wishing he'd just done like he first thought and held the girl's hand. "Fuck, this is all my fault…"

"She couldn't have gotten far, and I think I know where she went," Michael said, running down the hall the direction the blood went.

The duo wasn't very concerned about stealth anymore, running down the hall, keeping a light steady pace. Butch made sure to peak into every room they passed by and call out the names of the three people that they were looking for.

As they ran, Michael saw a supermutant up ahead slamming its fist into the wall repeatedly. As it turned toward them, Michael blasted it in the face with his laser rifle twice. The mutie's entire body shined a bright red and disintegrated into a pillar of smoking ash.

The trail of blood led Michael and Butch into a room on the left and they slowly approached the half-closed door. After making sure their weapons were ready, Michael peaked into the room, and saw that there were large computers lining the walls, humming a low tone. It must've been the factory's mainframe.

Standing in the center of the room was Amata.

Michael and Butch burst into the room, searching it briefly for any sign of mutants. "We're clear," Michael announced.

"Amata, are you okay?!" Butch asked. She was staring off into the darkness of the room.

"What's wrong, is something over there?" Butch said, approaching the corner with his rifle.

"Butch, hold on," Michael said, trying to warn him.

Sitting in the corner of the room was Wally and Fred, leaning up against the wall beside each other, bodies limp. Wally was wearing his Tunnel Snake jacket and held a revolver in his left hand which was completely empty. There was a wide circular hole in the side of his skull.

Freddie's body sat in a puddle of his own blood, evident by the long wound which ran down his side. Lying beside him was a tool box and an empty backpack. Michael and Butch didn't need a story teller to explain what happened to the two of them.

Michael pat him on the shoulder, trying to comfort his friend. "There was nothing you could do for them, Butch."

"If I hadn't wanted to leave the Vault so badly, I might've been with them when they came here. I could've given Wally and Fred a fighting chance, or maybe time to get outta' here," Butch said, his fist shaking.

"You would've just gotten yourself killed along with them, DeLoria." Michael saw on the screen of Wally's pip-boy that there was an un-played recording. After pressing the play button, the message began.

The first few seconds were only static, gunfire and heavy breathing, but then Wally's breathless voice came in. "… Fucking freaks came out of nowhere! Ah, when we saw them killing those weirdoes in the silver armor, we shoulda' just kept walking, but Fred wanted to see if we could help! Fucking brilliant idea, Fred!" There were four shots fired and a few expletives screamed, and Wally started to speak again. "They followed us into the factory after we ran, god there were so many of them… We tried to make a stand, in the lobby, but we didn't stand a chance… Fred's hurt real bad." It sounded like a door was slammed shut in the recording and Wally began to mumble to himself. "Only one bullet left … alright. Stan, I'm sorry, but we couldn't find the part you needed."

That was the end.

"Wally dragged Fred all the way up here…" Butch said bitterly.

"Come on, Butch, we need to get outta' here before more muties show up," Michael said. He turned around and saw Amata in tears, crying silently. Michael wanted to give her a minute to herself, but they didn't have that kind of time, not with mutants walking around every corner. "Amata, I'm sorry, but we've got to go."

"I-I can't l-leave them!" she said.

"We'll mourn them later Amata," Michael explained. "Right now we need to go while we can."

"No!" Amata said.

Something was wrong, she wasn't listening to Michael. He already knew there was more to this situation than she was letting on. "Amata, what's going on?"

She dropped to her knees like all of the strength from her body had left her. "Vault City is exiling my father and me…"

Michael felt like he had heard that wrong. "They're what…?"

"Everyone thinks I'm a horrible leader, and they don't trust my father anymore, not after all the people that died when he lost it," Amata said, continuing to bawl. "I was supposed to bring Wally and Fred back safe and sound, and look what happened! These two are dead, the life support systems are going to fail and everyone in Vault City is going to die and..."

Amata's crying breaths started to become erratic and she started to cough and wheeze. Michael knelt down next to her and said, "Amata you've got to calm down, you're having a panic attack!"

He removed the duffle bag from his shoulder and let it fall to the floor. He rummaged around inside until he found a canister of Steady with a breathing mask attached. Michael put the mask to Amata's face, the clear plastic covering her mouth and nose, and began to squeeze the canister, pumping medicinal gas into her lungs.

As Amata began to calm, a loud deranged voice screamed, "Look! Meat!"

Michael and Butch looked to the door to see two supermutants entering the room. Michael grabbed his rifle and pumped several superheated partical beams into one of them, burning the creature with every blast. This one had a weapon of its own, a shotgun that it had yet to fire.

The mutant grew closer and once it was less than five feet away from Michael, it pulled the trigger of the shotgun, launching Michael to the other side of the room. The other mutant picked up Michael's laser rifle which now lay on the floor.

Butch opened fire on the mutants while retreating to the back of the room where he could take cover behind the large computers. "Shit, I've only got five rounds left!" Butch said, glancing over at Amata who was still inhaling the steady, trying to stay calm.

Michael hopped over one of the over turned machines as red beams of light flew by him, covering his head with his arms. The shotgun blast had left him stunned, but thankfully hit the thickest part of his armor, the chest so he only felt about half the impact. He removed his armor's helmet and breathed, trying to come up with a plan.

"Butch, throw me the rifle!" Michael yelled.

Butch did as he asked, hurdling the rifle through the air into Michael's hands. The young man stood, shouldering the rifle and looking down the iron sight. He paid no attention to the fire being sent in his direction and just concentrated on his breathing. When he was sure that it would hit, Michael pulled the trigger, sending a single bullet from the hunting rifle. The round sped across the room and hit the energy pack of the laser rifle that the largest mutant held in its hand. The subsequent red explosion was nearly blinding.

When Michael opened his eyes, he saw two black scorch marks on the floor where the mutants previously stood. Michael breathed a sigh of relief and dropped the rifle.

"Well, that was a close call…" Butch said.

"Yeah, no kidding. Now you see why I said we've got to get the fuck outta' here?" Michael laughed.

"How the hell did you know that would work?" Butch asked, finally letting out the breath he'd been holding.

"I didn't. Most things just explode when shot with a high caliber rifle."

Amata continued to inhale the medicinal gasses within the container of Steady, which was good. She needed to calm down, or else she was going to pass out, and carrying her on his shoulder while trying to escape Robco was the very last thing Michael wanted to do.

He snatched up his duffle bag from off of the floor and picked ten hunting rifle rounds out of it. "Butch, get the 10mm from Amata. I'll take point, you two stay behind me."

Michael was going to make sure they got out of Robco in one piece. They came out of the mainframe, moving in a three man train with Amata at the back. Michael retraced the steps they had taken in his mind to try and recall which way the exit was in the enormous building. As they were walking, they past by the room from before where all of the supermutants were grouped.

As Michael prayed that none of the mutants spotted them, a centaur, like a bloodhound, smelled them and made a strange howling sound, alerting its masters that they had company. All of the supermutants spun around and saw the trio attempting to sneak by. Michael hated centaurs; they had better noses than his dogs.

The mutants opened fire on them with whatever weapons they had and Michael into the large and slammed the door shut. "Butch, take point! I'll watch the rear," Michael said.

Butch did as Michael told him and ran forward, checking to see if the way was clear. There were several halls that they could've taken, and Butch didn't know which led to their freedom.

"Uh, Mike, some direction would be good," Butch said.

"Make a left up ahead," Michael said, firing every time a mutant poked its head out of the cafeteria, "and then two rights. That'll take us back to the catwalks."

Butch made sure Amata was right behind him, and rushed ahead. When Michael didn't immediately follow, Butch called his name. "Go on ahead; I'll hold these guys back!" Michael said, catching one of the supermutants in the eye when it tried to come out of the room.

Butch and Amata followed Michael's directions until they were on the catwalks, where they were attacked by the first mutant. They ran down the stairs and across the winding rails, hoping that the exit came soon. As Butch watched their surroundings, he noticed it had suddenly gotten much darker inside the factory, like something had all of a sudden blocked the sunlight bleeding through the windows.

He looked up at the window on the wall above them and saw a giant yellow face looking back at him. Butch's stomach sank and he screamed, picking up his pace a little more. It was his very first time seeing a behemoth mutant. Michael would tell him about the things sometimes at Moriarty's when they were drinking, but Butch never imagined them to be so big.

The behemoth raised its giant fist and sent into the wall of the factory, punching a car sized hole in the brick just as Michael was entering the large room. Chunks of stone a cement flew in his direction, all of which he was able to successfully avoid. He caught up with Amata and Butch who were in the in the reception area. There was a mutant lying on the floor with three smoking holes in its face.

"Good, you guys are alright," Michael said.

"For now," Butch responded. "I'm guessing you saw the thing outside."

"He was kinda' hard to miss…" Michael looked back the way he came to see if there were any supermutants coming. They weren't being pursued for the moment.

"A behemoth being in this area is strange," Michael said. "They usually aren't out in the open like this. At least not to my knowledge."

"Yeah, well go tell him that."

Michael was wishing he'd brought a Fatman launcher with him, but he didn't anticipate needing it. They were pretty much screwed at this point.

Everyone's pip-boys began to buzz at the same time, indicating a radio signal had been acquired. Michael looked down at the signal and smiled within his helmet.

"_This is Vertibird 33, Paladin Raymond Paige piloting. Is anyone out there?"_ The pilot's voice rang in through Michael's helmet speaker which was wirelessly connected to his pip-boy, his thick country accent slurring his words.

"Ray, am I glad to here from you," Michael said into his helmet's mic. "We've got a behemoth out here that's giving us a real hard time and we need a pick up."

_"Star Paladin Wolf, is that you? Be ready to roll when I land this baby!"_

"Roger."

Butch and Amata stared at Michael, wondering what was going on. "Help is on the way," he said.

He exited the factory and saw the behemoth shouting gibberish at a Vertibird hovering in the air. The copter was black with the Lyon's Pride insignia on the side. Beside that was the image of a blonde woman in red lingerie lying on her side with a lollipop hanging out of her mouth.

The behemoth, angered at the Vertibird's presence, picked up a fellow supermutant which was standing by its foot and hurled it at the vehicle. The mutant was turned to blood ribbons by the choppers rotating blades, leaving the actually vehicle unscathed.

Ray flipped the switches on the Vertibird's dashboard to arm weapons and fired a salvo of four missiles into the mutant, blowing its entire upper body to pieces.

"_Anyone call for a taxi?" _Ray asked as the Vertibird touched down.

The trio climbed into the vehicle and it took off into the air. Michael walked up to the cockpit of the small chopper and said, "You just saved our asses, Ray!"

"Please, don't mention it. Only doing my duty, being the hero I was born to be, saving the day, etc."

"What're you doing way over here?" Michael asked, removing his helmet.

"Sentinel Lyons asked me to retrieve you from Megaton and bring you back to the Citadel, it's an emergency," Ray said, looking up at Michael through his helmet's visor. "I landed outside the town, but you weren't there, so I asked a lovely young lady where you'd run off to."

"Nova. What's the emergency?" Michael asked.

Ray looked back at the other two riders in his Vertibird and said, "I just need to get you to the Citadel. Now."


	3. Brotherhood

Lucy touched down onto the main ring of the Citadel gently, the powerful jet engines kicking up dirt and dust as it came to the ground. The Citadel was the fortress the Brotherhood of Steel called home. Michael's house was in Megaton, but the Citadel is where his heart and soul was. It was his home now.

The Vertibird's doors opened on both sides of the vehicle, letting everyone out. Amata and Butch marveled at the amazing sights and sounds around them, the size of the compound, the guards standing on duty fully clad in armor. Michael noticed though that it wasn't as lively as it usually was around the Citadel, it was quieter, the recruits weren't being forced to do an unreasonable number of pushups, and no one was at the firing range.

Michael approached Knight Xander, one of the initiates that had graduated recently. He remembered after the Brotherhood had taken the Purifier, Michael had asked if the Brotherhood of Steel would accept him into their ranks, not as an honorary member, but officially. They told the young man that he would have to go through the same rigorous training that the initiates did. During Michael's two months of bootcamp, he met Xander.

He was tall, almost 6"8, with a thick muscular frame. He had dark skin, his dark hair cut short into a low Mohawk. If Xander walked into a room, you didn't have any choice but to notice him.

"Xander, where's the lady of the house?" Michael asked, bumping his forearm into against Xander's, a sign of respect amongst the Brotherhood. "Ray told me something was up."

Xander hesitated, trying to find the right words to explain what'd happened. "Uh, Sentinel Lyons is in the medical bay. Something happened, Star Paladin Wolf…"

Michael took a step forward. "What happened, Xander?! Tell me!" Michael demanded.

"It's the elder. I saw them bringing him in while I was on watch," Xander said.

"Owen?! He was outside the Citadel? Why?"

"I don't know. If you want details, you'll have to go-"

Before Xander could finish his sentence, Michael was already gone, heading to the medical in B ring as quickly as his legs would carry him in his massive armor. He hadn't even thought about the fact that he was leaving Amata and Butch behind in the main ring.

"Uh, are we supposed to stay here?" Butch asked no one in particular.

"You two are Wolf's friends, right?" Ray asked, stepping out of the Vertibird's cockpit.

"Wolf?" Butch asked, not understanding.

Ray closed his eyes, trying to remember Michael's last name. Most of the members of the Brotherhood addressed him as Star Paladin Wolf or just Wolf, so sometimes he forgot his real name. Ray snapped his fingers and said, "Desmond. You're his friend's right?"

"Yeah, he was helping us out when you showed up and killed the behemoth," Butch said.

The pilot took off his helmet, letting his long brown hair out and grinned, showing his gap toothed smiled. He extended his hand to Butch and said, "How ya'll doin'? I'm Ray."

Butch shook the man's hand. "Butch DeLoria. This is Amata."

"It's a pleasure to meet the two of ya'." Ray sat his helmet down on the ground andran his fingers through his hair, just trying to straighten it out. "Um, I'm sure Wolf will be back soon… It's kind of a bad time, y'know?"

* * *

There was a thick crowd of people in the hall leading to the medical bay that were trying to get a glimpse into the medical bay. Michael shoved his way through them, trying to get into the room to see if there was anything he could do to help. He was actually the Lyon's Pride's field medic, something they badly needed. Michael told people he got his medical know-how from his dad.

As Michael struggled to push through the crowd, he felt a hand on the back of his armor, helping him along. "Star Paladin comin' through, get the hell outta' the way!" the person behind him screamed. Michael recognized his voice as Paladin Kodiak, another member of the Pride.

As Kodiak bellowed, helping get Michael to the med bay, the sea of people parted. Since the death of Paladin Vargas two months prior, Michael had been promoted to second in command of the Lyon's Pride, right behind Sarah Lyons. Most of the Brotherhood fiercely respected him, so they had no problem with getting out of the way.

Michael burst into the medical bay and saw Owen Lyons lying in a hospital bed with his daughter at his side, clutching his hand in her gloved one. Owen wasn't conscious, just lying there like he was asleep. Sarah looked at Michael when he came in, then turned her eyes back to her father.

"Is he gonna' be okay?" Michael asked, pulling up a chair besides hers.

"Maybe…"

Michael noticed Owen's I.V. was a packet of Rad-Away and raised an eyebrow. "Radiation poisoning? What the hell happened, Sarah?" Michael asked. He was the only one who called her by her first name, and vice versa.

"We found out that some of the squads delivering Aqua Pura were going missing, so me, Colvin and Glade wanted to go to the Jefferson Memorial building to check it out," Sarah said. "My father came along with us, ignoring my please to stay here. As we were walking to the building there was a giant green explosion right near us."

"Must've been a mini-nuke…"

"My father was the only one that wasn't wearing power armor, so the radiation shockwave affected him more than anyone else," Sarah said.

"No one else was hurt?" Michael asked.

"Colvin and Glade are being treated by Sawbones right now. They have advanced radiation poisoning, but should pull through. I was the farthest from the explosion, so I got the least of it."

Michael hoped that Owen pulled through; the Brotherhood needed someone capable at its helm. He also didn't want a close friend to lose her only parent. Michael knew all too well what that was like.

Sarah shot up from her seat and started to head out of the room. "Whoa, where're you goin'?" Michael asked, getting between her and the door. He asked even though he already knew the answer.

"I'm going to find whoever or whatever did this to my father!"

"Sarah, you can't. You need to be here at your father's side, in case his condition changes," Michael told her. "Your loyal Pride, on the other hand, can." Michael opened the med bay door and asked, "Isn't that right?"

Outside the door, Knight Captain Dusk, Knight Captain Gallows, and Paladin Kodiak all stood, waiting. They were all ready to go, armor, weapons and all.

Sarah nodded and returned to her seat. "Don't get killed out there, understood?"

"You got it, ma'am," Michael said, saluting gingerly as he went out the door.

As the quartet walked down the hall, heading toward A ring, Kodiak asked, "When do we leave, Star Paladin?"

"You three leave tomorrow morning. I go now," Michael said. "There are things I've gotta' take care of before we do this…"

Michael went down to the sleeping quarters and removed his power armor set. He reminded himself to take it down to get repaired when he saw the deep dent in the chest plate from the shotgun blast. He threw on a pair of black boots, worn black jeans, and a blue button down shirt that he left un-tucked.

Grabbing the Chinese pistol that he always kept under his bed, Michael hurried to the main ring. He saw Amata and Butch were sitting on the ground by the Vertibird, playing with Apollo, Athena's sibling.

"Sorry to leave you guys like that," Michael said, sitting on the ground beside them. Apollo ran up to him and began to lick Michael's right hand.

"Ah, it's fine. It gave princess and me a little time to do some catchin' up," Butch said, throwing his arm around Amata's shoulder.

"I told you not to call me that…" Amata said.

She still hadn't recovered from finding Wally ad Fred in Robco, but she was talking now at least. Now she had to deal with Vault City, and the fact that it would no longer serve as her home.

"Come on, it's been your nickname ever since we were eleven," Butch said.

"He's right, you're stuck with it, Amata," Michael said, trying to lighten the mood. There was a pause in the conversation after the laughter. Michael turned to Amata and said, "So, you and your dad have to leave Vault City?"

"I guess so… They're impeaching me."

Butch tapped his index finger to his chin and said, "Now, I didn't pay that much attention in history class, but I'm pretty sure that's never happened in Vault 101."

"I don't blame them. I'm a terrible leader," Amata admitted. "… There was a raider attack a few months ago, y'know. They didn't get past the front gate, but it still scared the citizens and they asked me what I was going to do to increase security."

Michael shook his head, knowing that whoever was Overseer was going to have a problem in that situation. Amata was level-headed, but there wasn't really a right way that she could've handled that. "How did you respond?" Michael asked.

"I'd put another guard out front, but they weren't satisfied with that. They wanted me to make sure that it never ever happened again. I didn't know what to do."

"Well, that's not your problem anymore anyway, Amata," Butch said. "Am I right?"

"Yep." Michael stood and walked over to Lucy, Ray's Vertibird. "Now, your problem is trying to survive out here. Butch and I are gonna' help you."

Michael climbed into the cockit and shouted, "Hey, Ray, I'm borrowing Lucy for a while!"

* * *

Never in a thousand years did Michael think he'd be standing outside of Vault 101, for any reason. But yet here he was, approaching the entrance to the underground city. He didn't really even want too be there, but Amata didn't want to go in alone. She begged Michael and Butch to come in with her on the Vertibird ride over.

They eventually gave in.

Butch opened the wood door leading into the cliff that contained Vault City and the three stepped into the tunnel. It was illuminated by small lights that hung from the wall, letting the two armed guards at the end of the tunnel see them coming. The large gear door was wide open, suggesting that anyone could come and go as they pleased, but Michael still didn't like being inside Vaults. He'd had to dive into a few in his time in the wastes, and despised every single minute of it.

Even Butch wasn't glad to be back in the Vault, not even a little bit. He came to the realization in the bird that he was the only remaining member of the Tunnel Snakes gang. Both Paul Hannon and Wally Mack were now deceased, leaving Butch to carry the name on his own, something that the young man didn't take lightly.

The two guards that stood watch, a pair of men neither Michael nor Butch recognized from their time in 101, and because of the size of the place, they knew everyone. The duo had to be newcomers to Vault City.

As Amata walked past the, one of the guards looked at her, and then at Michael and Butch and shot the girl an angry, disappointed look. No doubt he was upset that she had Michael and Butch in tow instead of the two she was _supposed_ to retrieve.

"You couldn't find them, could you? I knew we shouldn't have trusted you with something this important," one of the guards asked, the larger of the pair.

"Hey, get off her back. She did as much as she could," Butch said, defending her.

"I'm sorry, was I talking to you, mother fucker? I don't think so..."

Butch stopped, turned to the man, who stood a noticeable four inches over DeLoria's head, and asked, "'The fuck you just say?"

"You hard of hearing?" the man asked in return. Butch didn't even care that the man had a sawed-off shotgun at his side.

Amata grabbed Butch by the jacket, trying to pull him back. "Don't Butch," she pleaded. "Let's just go inside, please."

"Just leave it alone, Butch," Michael said, agreeing with Amata, even though he wouldn't have stopped Butch if he jumped on the guy.

Butch unclenched his fist and pushed his way past the man. Michael and Amata could hear him mumbling to himself as they walked behind him. "Butch, you probably won't even ever see this guy again," Michael said.

"He better hope I don't see him again! I'll crack his fucking skull open!" Butch said. Michael didn't doubt it.

"Don't bother, let's just go so I can get my things and get out of here…" Amata said.

They passed by several people on as they followed Amata, all of them shot her a dirty look, including several people that Michael remembered from his time living there. He even got a few sour looks and back-handed comments here and there that were ignored.

Susie Mack, Wally's younger sister, saw them walking down the hall as she was coming out of the cafeteria and ran up to Butch, probably thinking he was Wally since he was wearing the Tunnel Snakes uniform. When she got closer and saw that it wasn't him though, she slowed her sprint to a light jog. Her eyes scanned all around, searching for her brother's face.

"Amata, where's Wally?" Susie asked, smiling widely. "Is he still outside, or something?"

Before Amata could speak up, Butch stepped forward. He was unable to look Susie in the eyes, but he felt as if it was his responsibility to tell her of her brother's fate. "Susie … Wally won't be coming back. I'm sorry."

It took several seconds for what Butch was saying to click in Susie's mind. He was telling her that her brother wouldn't be coming back. At first she thought that Wally had decided to live outside of Vault City, like he'd found somewhere better. Then she looked at the somber expressions on Michael and Amata's faces.

The tears just started rolling down her face and she ran off. Butch wanted to go after her, but he was on the brink of crying himself, and he wanted to be emotionally stable when he faced her.

"Dammit…"

"You need a minute, Butch?" Michael asked. Butch nodded, sniffling a little. "Alright, I'll come get you when you're ready to go. Why don't you go see how your mom's doing?"

"Yeah … okay."

Butch left, and Amata and Michael headed to the Overseer's office. When they got there, there was a man, slightly older than Michael, standing at the circular window looking out onto the common area. The man had a shaved head and a scar going horizontally across his forehead. He definitely wasn't of 101.

As they entered the Overseer's office, the man turned around and said, "Good afternoon, Ms. Almodovar."

"Mr. Divito…" Amata responded. She didn't sound too pleased to see the guy, at least not to Michael.

The man's eyes shot over to Michael, and back to Amata. "I see you brought a friend to our fair city."

"This is Michael. He used to live here," Amata said. Divito nodded to Michael.

"Yeah. Amata, who is this man?" Michael asked.

"This is Alek Divito. He's was elected the Overseer's advisor," Amata explained.

"Since they aren't here, I'm assuming Freddy Gomez and Wally Mack are dead," Divito said.

"Yeah, they were killed by a group of supermutants," Michael said, answer for Amata.

"That's a shame," he said, turning back toward the window. Amata knew what was coming next. "I guess that means the Almodovar family will be leaving us, huh?"

"Please don't make my father go! I'll leave willingly, but let my father stay here in Vault City."

Divito seemed to be considering Amata's request, closing his eyes in thought. "Let Alphonse stay," Michael told him. "He's been the Overseer for years, and can be a tremendous help to whoever takes up the position next."

"Alright, I'll allow him to stay in Vault City, but you must swear that you and your companions won't return for any reason," Divito said.

Amata glanced over at Michael for approval. All he gave her was a smirk, which was all she needed. It was the first time he gave her one of his signature half smiles since the day he left 101, when he joked about the dream he had about her. "Alright, we won't come back," she agreed.

"You can go retrieve your possessions, then."

"She won't be needing them," Michael said.

Divito turned back to Michael and frowned. He seemed to dislike Michael almost as much as Michael disliked him in return. "Well then you can leave."

Michael smirked again and said, "Amata, let's get outta' here."

Amata turned and left the room, but Michael stayed, staring the man who was probably going to be the new Overseer. He approached the man and said, "I wish you luck, Alek Divito. You're gonna' need it."

Amata waited for Michael right outside the Overseer's office. When Michael came out, he asked, "So, where ya' going to live?"

Amata shrugged. "That might be something you want to figure out, next time. You can sleep on my couch, if you want," Michael said as they walked.

Once again, Michael extended a kindness that Amata thought she didn't deserve. "Thank you…"

They found Butch in the room he and his mom used to share, saying goodbye to his mother. He hugged her tightly, and they headed toward the exit. Michael explained that they weren't able to come back to Vault City, at least not without getting shot at, and Butch seemed completely fine with it.

As they exited the gear door, they passed by the watch guards, from before. The one that Butch didn't care for smiled as they walked out. "Good fucking riddance," he said.

"It's too bad she has to go… the bitch has got a nice ass," the other commented.

Butch stopped and turned to Michael. "Can I?"

"We can't come back, so I don't see why the hell not," Michael replied. He saw nothing wrong with burning bridges to a place where you couldn't return anyway.

Butch went into a full on sprint and slammed into the guard on the right side of the door, driving his knee up into the man's abdomen three times before drilling him in the jaw with a left hook. The guy did't even have time to fight back.

As he slumped to the dirt, unconscious, the other guard drew his rusted 10mm and aimed it at Butch's back. Before he could pull the trigger, Michael reached out and grabbed his arm. Michael broke the man's nose with a single jab to the face and released him.

"What'd you guys do that for?!" Amata asked.

Butch cracked his knuckle and said, "That, my dear, was for sheer pleasure."


	4. Memories

The mattress landed with a thud on the floor of the small room off of Michael's bedroom. It was grey with little stains here and there, but it was mostly in great condition. Michael was surprised that Butch found something like it in the back of his house.

"Thanks for the mattress, DeLoria. Now, Amata won't have to take the sofa," Michael said, looking the bed over.

"No problem, man," Butch replied. "It must've belonged to whoever lived in the house before me."

Michael remembered the man that stayed in the house before Butch: Mr. Burke. The lunatic wanted him to blow the small town up because it was a so called "eyesore". Michael recalled telling Lucas Simms, the sheriff, about the man's proposition, and they went to go confront Burke about it. When they did, Burke drew a weapon on Simms when his back was turned, ready to murder the man in cold blood. Michael blew a hole in Burke's head, saving Simms' life and probably the enter town in hindsight. It was one of the reasons Michael was so beloved around town.

"Where's Amata?" Butch asked, looking around the second floor of Michael's house.

"Hit up the ladies' room."

"So, uh, someone's gotta' look out for her from now on. I guess that job falls to me and you, huh?"

"Yep. I can show her how to handle a gun when I get back from this mission I'm going on tomorrow," Michael said. "You think you can make sure she doesn't get into any trouble until then?"

"That won't be hard. Princess doesn't know how to get herself into trouble."

"When we were kids, I was always the one that convinced her to do crazy stuff, wasn't I?"

"That's probably why her dad didn't like you."

"Well, it was one of the reasons…" Amata said as she came into the house. Both Michael and Amata knew the other reason why her father didn't care for Michael was because his daughter was falling for him.

"I told you the women's room wouldn't be too bad," said Michael.

"Actually, you lied. It was horrific."

Butch laughed and said, "Princess, I guarantee you it's no worse than the men's room."

"He's right. Going to the men's room here is like takin' a piss in hell," Michael said.

Amata looked over at the mattress on the floor and asked, "Is that my bed?"

"Uh huh. You can thank Butch for that," Michael said.

"Don't mention it," Butch said before Amata could express her thanks, heading downstairs for the door.

"You leaving already, DeLoria?"

"It's busier at Moriarty's at night, so I've got to go help out," Butch said. "G'night guys."

After Butch left, Michael turned to leave the small bedroom. "Let me go get you some blankets or somethin'. There's food in the fridge downstairs if you're hungry."

Amata shrugged and went to the small kitchen and opened the fridge. There were a few cans of beans inside, several bottles of beer, a Brahmin steak, and some kind of stew in a white bowl. Amata needed to eat something, so she grabbed one of the cans of beans and opened it up with a small can opener on top of the fridge.

They didn't taste like much other than cold baked beans, but Amata was starving. As she climbed the stairs, she saw Michael tossing a set of sheets onto her new bed. "Well, it's not a five star inn, but it's a dry, safe place to sleep," Michael said. "Something most don't get out here."

"Thank you again, Mike," Amata said.

"You're welcome, Amata." Michael went to leave the room and said, "My room's right next door if you need anything, alright?"

Amata watched Michael leave and fell back onto the bed after sitting the half-eaten can of beans down. For about an hour and a half sleep completely eluded her. She just stared up at the ceiling in near pitch blackness, thinking to herself.

Her brain just wouldn't stop going. So many things weighed on her mind, most of them revolving around the fact that danger could be around every corner in the wasteland, that in reality, she could be dead tomorrow, or the day after. Then she thought about the supermutants in the old Robco factory; the towering monstrosities that almost killed both Michael and Butch.

Then she began to think about how useless she was to the two of them. She just stood there half the time, either scared shitless, or hyperventilating. She could've done something to help - she did have a gun on her at the time. But she just let the two of them escort her, guiding her through the dark like a child. She was a grown woman, wasn't she?

Amata thought back to her childhood, the time in her life when she didn't feel totally useless. Back then she wasn't a failed Overseer, people didn't think her father was crazy, she didn't feel like a complete screw-up. It was just her and Michael – best friends until the end of time. Or at least that's what they promised to each other when they were seven.

Amata allowed her mind to drown in the memories of when she was happiest…

* * *

_Four Years Earlier_

It was eleven-o-clock at night; Amata turned sixteen in five minutes, and she wasn't exactly enjoying herself. Her birthday party had just ended twenty minutes ago and she was sitting in her room, doing some homework she had forgotten to get to earlier.

There was a knock at Amata's door and she groaned. The only person that would be outside her door at this hour would've been her father, and she didn't really want to talk to him, since he didn't even show up at the birthday part Old Lady Palmer had thrown for her. He was too busy to even wish his own daughter a happy birthday.

Amata ignored the knocking and continued to do her math work. Another series of knocks, made her throw her head back in aggravation and get up from her bedroom desk. She shot over to the door, opened it up and said, "Go away!"

"Wow. I see you're still in a shit mood," Michael's familiar voice said. Amata looked to the right and saw him leaning up against the wall to the right of the doorway, smiling at her.

He was taller than her even though she was about a month and a half older than she was. His blonde hair came down to just above his shoulders.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry, Mike. I thought you were my dad," Amata said.

"Nah, he's asleep in your living room. I just snuck by him."

"What're you doing here?" Amata asked, letting Michael into her room and shutting the door.

"I figured you were bored after your shitty party. I think Old Lady Palmer still believes we're ten years old," Michael said.

"It's the thought that counts, y'know."

"Yeah, I know," Michael said as he sat at Amata's desk. He looked over at the papers that she'd been working on and asked, "Dude, were you doing homework?"

"Yep."

"You're so lame," Michael said mocking his friend.

Amata frowned and crossed her arms. "So, just because I choose to actually excel in my studies, instead of barely scraping by like you, I'm lame?"

"I'm just glad you finally understand," Michael said. He picked up her homework and tossed it into the air. "Let's get rid of these!"

Amata just shook her head. "You're gonna' clean that up, right?"

"Stop worrying about the homework; there're more important issues at hand," Michael said.

"Such as?"

"The little mixer your dad's having tomorrow for all the adults, for example."

"Oh … that."

"Y'know, I figured, if your dad had time to put together this little drinking party, but didn't have time for your birthday, he wouldn't mind if all the teens had a little party of our own."

"You're kidding," Amata said.

"So, what do ya' think, Amata? Wanna' go to a real party?" Amata didn't seemed a little hesitant, so Michael said, "Come on, it'll be no fun without you!"

Amata began to massage her temples and said, "Alright, I'll go. God, you're almost as much of a headache as DeLoria."

"Amata, I'm offended. That might be the meanest thing you've said to me..." Michael said, feigning insult. "Your thoughtless comment may have done irreversible damage to our relationship!"

Michael got up to leave, pretending to cry into the bend of his arm. Amata sighed, a wide grin on her face, and said, "Fine, I'm sorry!"

Michael's sadness cleared rather quickly and he turned around. "Nope, that apology doesn't sound legitimate! It's gotta' come from the heart!"

Amata rolled her eyes and stood. "I sincerely apologize for comparing you to Butch DeLoria, you are his superior in every way humanly possible…"

"Well, I might be able to find it in my heart to forgive you someday…"

Amata walked over to Michael and wrapped her arms around his chest. She brought her face to his and kissed him, squeezing his body tightly like she was worried that he was going to get away from her. That moment was the single best part of her birthday.

Once the kiss was broken, Amata smiled. "There, is that better?"

"Uh, yep, I'm good," Michael nodded with a dumb expression on his face.

"Now … You might want to get outta' here before my dad wakes up. He'll kill you if he catches you in here."

"Yeah, you're right," Michael laughed.

"No, I'm serious. You're not going to be alive anymore if he finds you."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow." Michael gave Amata a peck on the cheek and got the hell out of there, as quickly and quietly as possible.

* * *

_Present Day_

Amata's eyes opened slowly, the sound of talking outside the house drawing her out of her sleep. They weren't dreams, they were memories that she wondered if she was subconsciously trying to go back to.

Getting up out of bed, Amata noticed that the inside of the house was almost completely silent. She walked around the house, looking for any sign of life, but not a soul was around. Amata poked her head into Michael's room, hoping he was still around.

Inside his room there was a single twin bed, a desk with an old computer and some papers atop the wood, and a metal cabinet with its door hanging half open. Curiosity made her go in. Amata knew she was snooping but couldn't really help it. Michael was such a different person than when they were kids.

Before, he was the class-clown, doing almost any stupid thing to get a laugh. He wasn't very strong or fast, and was smart, but didn't apply himself so his report card was always pretty ugly. Amata's father never liked the two of them hanging out together, but she didn't care. Michael was fun.

Now, Michael's hair was different, he had little scars on his face, his eyes were steelier, more determined. There was a presence he carried about him now, an intimidating one that frightened her a little. But then he would smile, and become so much less intimidating.

Amata looked at the papers on his desk and saw that they were journals, reports of some kind, records, maps of the larger D.C. area, and of smaller places that he was plotting out. It seemed he'd make notes of things, things he'd seen in the wastes just in case he needed to go back to them.

Then Amata saw something that particularly caught her eye: a note with her name on it sitting on the edge of the desk. Amata picked up the small folded piece of paper and opened it up.

_I'm going on a mission to D.C., so I might not be back for a few days. Butch will usually be at Moriarty's, so if you need anything, ask him. If Butch leaves Megaton for any reason, go with him and take my dog Athena with you. She won't follow you unless you tell her the command phrase that'll let her know she can trust you, which is Olympus. The key to my gun cabinet is taped under my desk if you need it. Try not to need it. – Michael_

While Amata was looking through the papers, she heard the door open downstairs and got out of the room. She looked over the railing that overlooked the main area of the house and saw Butch standing there, looking up at her.

"Hey, princess."


	5. Transparancy

Most people would've been jumpy, jittery wading through the thick darkness of one of D.C.'s many train tunnels. Wolf wasn't most people. He'd cleared out most of the tunnels before, and no one usually came down to these tunnels and stayed for too long, for fear of mutants, which was understandable.

Wolf raised his left arm, looking at the map displayed across the bright light-blue screen of his pip-boy. He was nearing the rendezvous point, where the other members of the Pride – Kodiak, Gallows, and Dusk – agreed to meet. Kodiak was probably itching to get outside and find whoever put Elder Lyons in a hospital bed.

Wolf had switched out the damaged parts of his power armor with a few replacements he always kept at home so he was once again wearing a full set of Brotherhood of Steel armor. The customized laser rifle that the young former Vault dweller held in his hands was painted black and had a digital scope atop it.

Once he reached the rendezvous, Wolf saw Kodiak and Dusk standing in the middle of the tracks talking, with Gallows leaning up against the wall just a little ways away.

"Wolf, you made it. We thought we'd have to leave without you," Dusk said.

"Hope I didn't keep you three waiting too long," Wolf said.

"It's fine, let's just get topside," Kodiak said quickly.

"Yeah, I'm with him. My sniper rifle's not gonna' do me much good way down here," Dusk agreed.

Wolf checked to make sure that his weapon was loaded, and safety was off, and said, "Well, let's not waste any time then, since we're all here." He glanced down at his pip-boy, plotting a route to Anacostia Crossing Station, the easiest way to get up to Rivet City and Jefferson Memorial, where the attack they were investigating happened. He turned toward one of the tunnels that veered off to the left and said, "This way."

After twenty minutes went by, Kodiak asked, "You sure you're reading that map correctly? You aren't leading us in circles, are you?"

"Probably," Wolf said. "… I'm joking. The map's fine and Anacostia Crossing Station is just up ahead."

Wolf thought about the attack the entire way, stumped as to who would attack Brotherhood of Steel openly. Both the wasteland raiders and Talon Company gave them a wide birth, and the Enclave was dead. The only ones that still gave the group a problem were the supermutants.

As soon as the four Pride members reached Anacostia Crossing Station, they stopped for a moment to make sure they were fully prepared before heading outside. The others were still checking their gear once Wolf was ready, so he decided to take a walk around the station, but made sure his brothers and sister were within shouting distance and could easily see him.

The station was empty, except for the bones of the dead which lie on the floor. For some reason, though, Wolf had the feeling in his stomach that he was being watched, that a pair of eyes were staring daggers into his back. He turned around on his heels and scanned the area, but didn't see anyone around.

Then, when he was getting ready to continue his little walk around the large station, there was something that he saw. The air moved, quivered, only for a brief second in one singular place before his eyes.

Gunfire broke out to the Star Paladin's left, where his allies were. They were being fired upon from one of the tunnels with a machinegun as two Sentrybots emerged from the darkness. As he went to their aid, rifle in hand, he saw the air ripple again out of the peripheral of his vision.

A narrow bodied person in a tight suit of silver stealth armor literally appeared out of thin air, a Chinese sword in their left hand. It appeared to be a woman because of the shape of the body, but other than that, Wolf couldn't tell who this person was due to the mask she wore.

He centered the woman in his scope and fired, but when he did, she vanished again, disappearing into nothingness. Wolf tried to track her movements with his eyes, following wherever the air rippled, but couldn't keep up with her. She was faster than the slow, lumbering supermutants Wolf was used to engaging.

The woman closed in on him as her cloaking once again failed, slashing him across the chest and arm with her blade as he threw a punch at her. She ducked the wild swing, and swung the razor sharp blade in return at Wolf's throat, where there wasn't any armor. Wolf jumped back, reaching up to his neck to make sure he wasn't cut open.

"Is this all the Brotherhood of Steel could muster?" she asked as Wolf tried to think of a way to get around her quickness. "Is this all they've sent?"

He glanced back at his team who were dug in, their cover the only thing protecting them from the seemingly unending stream of bullets. Wolf knew they needed to get topside, where they were able to move with more freedom, flank their enemy, try and get the upper hand.

Wolf threw down his rifle and drew the combat knife that'd saved his life on dozens of occasions. He flipped the blade over so he was holding it backwards and deflected the woman's attack, much to her surprise.

"You're no raider… Who are you?" Wolf asked forcefully.

"I'm a dark spirit, a phantom that will haunt you 'til the day you die. I am the Ghost."

He thought about her words, the riddle that she uttered. This attack on Wolf was personal; this woman must've felt he had done something to her, something worth killing him over. There was hatred, distain, malice behind every single word the woman spoke to him – she was driven by revenge, a fuel Michael knew better than anyone else in the Capitol.

Revenge was the force that helped Michael, before he was in the Brotherhood of Steel and known as Star Paladin Wolf, fight so fiercely against the Enclave. Sometimes, it was the only thing that kept him alive. He knew all too well what the girl was feeling.

The woman, the Ghost, stood before Wolf, twirling her sword in her hand. The eagerness in her body language was unnerving. She flipped a small switch on her sword and the blade sparked and surged with electricity, slithers of blue and white running up and down the steel.

"I am going to destroy you…" she said. She sounded so determined, that Wolf almost believed what Ghost said.

She charged, swinging the blade madly, catching Wolf's armor every now and again. Each time the sword touched him, he felt the stinging pain of the electricity that would run through his body. He was glad that they were only glancing blows.

Wolf waited patiently until he found an opening, and stabbed at the woman's neck. She grabbed a hold of his wrist as the knife came down with her free hand and dropped her weapon. With her now empty right hand, Ghost reached up, grabbed Wolf by his chest plate, and lifted him up like a child picking up a toy. Ghost drove Wolf down back first to the floor. The heel of her boot came crashing down on Wolf's chest knocking all of the wind out of him.

The only way she could've had that kind of strength was if she was running on a drug like Psycho, Wolf assumed. Now that he knew she was drugged, he realized just how much danger he was in against this woman.

As she applied pressure to his windpipe, not enough to crush it, but definitely enough to choke him to death eventually, Wolf rolled his body so most of his weight was on his shoulders and neck. His legs went up into the air and wrapped around her leg like a vine, and he readied his knife. Ghost stomped his knife hand, pinning it to the floor with her other foot.

"Can you breathe? Are you feeling lightheaded yet?! Doesn't the lack of oxygen make you feel alive!?"

As Wolf began to blackout, a single bullet burst through Ghost's shoulder, sending her to the floor in a writhing pain. Wolf looked across the room and saw smoke rising from the barrel of Dusk's rifle. Kodiak and Gallows were finishing off the Sentrybots by the tunnel, putting a few extra rounds into the war machine's non-functioning bodies.

Ghost popped up to her feet, holding her shoulder as red trickled down her arm and ran as fast as she could.

"Wolf, you still alive over there?" Kodiak called out. Wolf stirred, rubbing his neck.

"Yeah, I'm alive. Anyone injured?"

"Nothing too serious," Dusk said as they came to Wolf's side.

Wolf jumped up and looked to where Ghost ran off. "She's getting away!"

He grabbed his rifle off of the floor and gave chase. Wolf wondered if this woman was the one that laid up the Elder. If she was, he needed to get a hold of her, and bring her back to Sentinel Lyons. Whether Ghost was breathing or not.

As he rounded the corner going up the ramp leaving the station, the others at his heels, he saw Ghost at the top of the ramp, sitting on the escalator. Her helmet was off now, and Wolf could finally see her face. She had a clear, pale complexion that was almost as white as paper. Her lips were thin, and her nose narrow, with dark eyes. She had fiery red hair, an unnaturally deep shade of red that was long and messy.

Wolf stopped in his tracks when he saw her, as did the other members of the Pride. "Why did you attack us? Why are you targeting the Brotherhood of Steel?" Kodiak demanded an answer.

"The Brotherhood of Steel's time in the Capitol Wasteland is coming to an end," she announced. "Your time specifically, has already ended."

Wolf just now noticed the remote she had in her hand. He guessed what it was and glanced around the ramp. All along the walls, there were devices, little red lights blinking on their fronts. "Shit!" Wolf shouted.

"This is your grave."

The Pride spun around and bounded back down the ramp as fast as they could, hoping to get away before Ghost pressed the button, but it was too late. She mashed her thumb down on the button, and the charges exploded.

* * *

Owen was still unconscious, and had yet to even open his eyes. Sarah stared at her father's frail looking form, holding his hand as tightly as possible without applying too much pressure, as not to hurt him. She wanted to be outside, hunting with her brothers, but she knew Michael was right when he told her to stay by her father's side.

The door to the med-bay was quietly opened and Xander came into the room. "Do you need anything, Sentinel?" Xander asked her.

"No," Sarah said flatly. She looked over at him and asked, "Has there been any word at all from the others?"

"None whatsoever. We're hoping they'll report in tomorrow."

"Dammit, Michael," she muttered.

"Ma'am, with all due respect, you shouldn't be in here. You need to get some sleep," Xander told her, hoping he wasn't speaking out of line and wouldn't get demoted for his words.

Sarah hadn't gotten slept a wink of sleep since this whole thing happened, and was dead tired. She wanted to go and rest, but felt that she needed to be by her father's side. She didn't want to leave him alone.

A Knight, Wilkins, ran into the room, short of breath. He looked right at Sarah, and said, "Ma'am, there's a message coming in on the emergency channel! It's from Star Paladin Wolf!"

Sarah sprinted out of the med-bay, on her way to the Comm center. "Tell Ray to prep the bird!" she ordered, apparently to Xander.

"Uh, yes ma'am!" Xander stuttered.

Wolf wouldn't use the emergency channel unless they needed immediately assistance. It made Sarah pray the worst hadn't happened as she raced down the halls.

Sarah ran to the Comm center, where all of the Brotherhood's communication devices were. She grabbed the receiver for the ham radio and put it to her mouth.

"This is Sentinel Sarah Lyons. Michael, come in," she said calmly. There was no response. "I repeat; this is Sarah Lyons – Michael if you can hear this, respond!"

Only static came back. "… evac A.S.A.P." she heard Michael's static marred voice respond through the radio's speakers.

"Michael, it's Lyons, do you read?"

"Sarah? I read you!" he said. "I've been trying to get a message through for an hour, but we're still underground."

"What's going on down there?"

"There was a fucking ambush waiting for us in the tunnels, Sarah. It was probably the same person that laid up the Elder."

Sarah bit her lip and asked, "Was anyone injured? Are the four of you alright?"

Sarah was met with more static and a long wait before an answer came. She heard Michael's voice return, but it sounded like he was speaking to someone else. "Grab my satchel and lay her down over there. I've got something to numb it."

"Michael?" Sarah asked. "Are you there?"

"I'm still here…" Michael said, sighing deeply. "I … lost Gallows. I'm sorry, Sarah."

Sarah slumped down into the office chair behind her. Her gut sank and her heart rate slowed. Another one of her brothers had lost their lives. First Vargas was taken out by an overlord class supermutant, and now Gallows was gone as well.

"… How did it happen?" Sarah asked weakly.

"The woman that ambushed us had planted charges in the tunnels beforehand, and detonated them. The force of the explosion blew him into a wall, killing him instantly," Michael said. He lied to Sarah. Gallows survived the impact, but nine ribs were broken, Michael thought one of his lungs was punctured, and blood was seeping out of his helmet, but he refused to tell her that. "He didn't suffer."

"Were there any other casualties?"

"No, but Dusk is injured badly. A piece of shrapnel hit her leg. She's barely able to walk."

Sarah pushed the sadness in her chest down, and said, "I'm on the way, and I'm bringing a med-evac."

"We'll have to work our way to the surface through the sewers, but I'll pop blue smoke once we're topside," Michael said. "Keep an eye out for us, alright? Star Paladin Wolf, out."

Sarah threw down the receiver and headed for the door. She was determined not to lose another man out in the wastes. Especially while she was hold up in the safety of the Citadel.

* * *

"Take the next right," Wolf told Kodiak. The Paladin had point, taking the lead as Wolf held Dusk up, assisting her as they trekked through the dark sewers that were attached to the train tunnels through a small make-shift passageway. He kept a very slow pace because she was working on one leg, her other one almost useless to her at the moment. Even though she could barely walk, Dusk still clutched her rifle in her arms like her life depended on it. Chances were they'd be able to fix her leg, maybe recover some of the damaged tissue, but only if they got her to a real doctor A.S.A.P.

Dangling from the woman's slender neck were Gallows holo-tags, his identification within the Brotherhood. Wolf was going to make sure that the scribes put Gallows' name into the archives, and that it wasn't forgotten. It was the least he could do for a deceased brother in arms.

Wolf scolded himself for chasing after that woman and leading his team right into the center of a trap. He wanted so badly to continue searching for her, but not now. First he had to get the rest of his team out to safety, get Dusk a good doctor. Ghost would have to wait until another day.

Kodiak stopped dead in his tracks and took a knee, holding completely still. He held a hand up, signaling Wolf to stop as well, and pointed up ahead. Wolf peered deeper into the darkness of the tunnel and saw silhouettes moving around, but couldn't make them out. He reached up and flipped the switch on the side of his helmet and his surroundings were suddenly bathed in a bright green color that illuminated everything. He only used the night-vision when he deemed it necessary, because the batteries didn't last very long, and making another would be time consuming.

There were dozens and dozens of feral ghouls in the tunnel, some lying on the concrete, some slowly walking around in circles, others picking at human remains. It was too many to sneak around, and way too many too engage, especially with Dusk not being able to move at full speed. She'd go down first, followed quickly by Wolf and Kodiak.

"Too many. We'll have to go around," Kodiak whispered.

Wolf looked around to see if there was any way to get passed them. To his left was a ladder leading up to an old rusty manhole cover. Wolf pointed upward and said, "We'll go first."

Wolf climbed the ladder, the rungs wet and slippery from the rain a few days ago. Once he reached the manhole cover, he shoved it aside and poked his head out to street level. They were still in downtown D.C., but it appeared they were clear for the moment.

He looked down the ladder and signaled Dusk to come up. She tossed her sniper rifle up to him and started to very slowly ascend the ladder, one rung at a time. Once she was up, Kodiak started, but his foot slipped and he banged his knee against the metal ladder. Kodiak froze, afraid the ghouls had heard the noise, but it seemed they were safe.

Then the irradiated zombies came rushing down the tunnel, sloshing through the sewer water, trying to get at Kodiak. He climbed the ladder as quickly as possible with their boney hands nipping at his heels. Once Kodiak finally made it to the top, Wolf shoved the cover back over the manhole and took a deep breath.

He pulled a smoke bomb from his satchel and activated it. Blue smoke rose into the air as he heard the vertibird approach. There wasn't a more pleasing sound to him in the world than Lucy's engines coming closer. The chopper touched down and the doors opened.

Sarah and seven Knights emerged, weapons ready. They helped Dusk into Lucy, and took off.

"Are you alright?" Sarah asked Dusk.

"I'm fine as long as the Med-X keeps working," she joked, removing her helmet.

Sarah turned to Wolf and asked him the same. He took off his helmet as well and said, "… I'm just ready to get back to the Citadel."


	6. Learning From the Best

"What happened after that?"

"Well, she retreated after Dusk put a round in her shoulder and we gave chase," Michael said, explaining the day's events to his commander. "She led us right into a trap, though. That was right around the time you heard from me."

Michael and Sarah stood on one of the Citadels outer walls, looking out onto the wastes. A silver moon hung above them and cool breeze blew through the air, sending a chill through Michael's body. He wished he grabbed long sleeves instead of a t-shirt.

"And you think she's the one that attacked my father?" Sarah asked. Her hand curled into a tight fist as she thought about this woman.

"There's little doubt in my mind, Sarah," Michael told her. "I spoke briefly to her, and it seems that she's after certain people in particular. Me, for example, she seems to have a personal issue with. She also has a grudge against the Brotherhood as a whole it seems, probably why she went after Owen."

"Cut off the head, and eventually the body will fall, right?"

"That's what I think."

Sarah stared up at the moon, her thoughts running wild. Her blonde hair fell just short of her shoulders, swaying slightly with the wind. She turned to her second in command and said, "I'm sending the Knights out to see if they can gather information on her."

"Have them check with the wasteland docs, too. Maybe one of them treated or sold medical supplies to a woman with a severe shoulder injury," Michael suggested.

"Good idea."

Michael glanced over at Sarah who continued to stare off into the distance. Her father had woken up while she was evacuating her team. She was so happy when she found out he was awake, even though he couldn't really get up out of bed.

But even though her father was recovering, there was still a threat out there that she needed to take care of, so she couldn't really celebrate.

"Do you think there's trouble on the horizon for us?" Sarah asked.

"With my awesome luck? Don't worry, we're in the clear," Michael said completely sarcastically.

"… I'm going to need you with me when I go after her, you know."

"All you've got to do is call, and the Wolf will come running." Michael turned to walk off, but then turned back and said, "You should go get some rest, Lyons. You look like you haven't gotten any shut-eye in days and you won't be any use to the Pride if you're sleep deprived."

Sarah nodded slowly, and said, "Alright." She was still thinking. Michael just chuckled and walked down to A-ring. He grabbed his old, beat up duffle-bag, and left the Brotherhood's base. He was headed back to his home in Megaton. Michael still had a houseguest that needed to be taught how to survive in the wastes.

* * *

The house was eerily quiet. Amata was alone inside Michael's living room, looking at the several bobble-heads that sat atop the display standing against the wall. They were Vault-Tech brand collectables. She only remembered seeing a single one of these before in the Vault.

Amata tapped their heads, watching them bounce and roll around. Athena watched from her lying position on the floor, probably wondering when her master was going to get back. Amata had let the pooch into the house when it started to get a little cool outside.

It was sometime after midnight, but neither of the girls could sleep. It was difficult for Amata to sleep because she was used to hearing the slight hum of the Vault's life support systems, not the silence that came at night in the wasteland and it was hard for Athena to stay asleep because she was too preoccupied watching the former.

Athena's ears perked up, and turned toward the door, tuning like satellite dishes. She stood and ran toward the front door, happily jumping up and down. Amata wondered what was wrong with her until the door opened and Michael walked through the threshold.

"Hey, girl, you been good?" Michael asked, kneeling at his dog. He looked over to Amata, who was standing by his bobble-head collection and asked, "Have you been good?"

"Welcome back," Amata smiled. "How … did everything go?"

Michael shrugged loosely. "How'd everything go here? You didn't throw any wild parties while I was gone, did ya'?"

"It was quiet, and a little boring."

Michael stood and said, "Well, thing's are gonna' be a little more exciting from now on…"

"What do you mean?"

"Private, tomorrow morning, you're starting wasteland survival boot camp," Michael said, doing his best tough instructor voice. "You're gonna' learn to use a gun, how to fight, and more importantly, how to avoid fighting. Unless you think you're not up for it."

Amata remembered being in the Robco factory, unable to do anything to add to their escape, and said, "No, I want you to teach me."

"But first…" Michael approached Amata and began staring at her.

She stepped back a bit and asked, "What the hell are you staring at?"

"We're gonna' have to cut your hair, Amata."

Amata was on the other side of the room by the time those words passed Michael's lips, holding the ponytail that she kept her hair in. She had let it grow out in the past several months, so it came down to just above the middle of her back.

"Cut my fucking hair?! Are you joking?"

Amata was always fond of her hair. "Listen, your hair could give you issues later on, which is why we've got to make it shorter," Michael said. He began to walk up to her, holding his hands up in the air passively.

"I'm not cutting my h-"

Michael reached out and grabbed a hold of her hair, giving a gentle tug, just to demonstrate how dangerous long hair could be. Not only did it make it easy for someone to grab one's head, but it also could get into a person's eyes at the most in opportune time if it wasn't in a ponytail. It was one of the reasons Michael cut his.

He gently released her and said, "Do you see why we need to cut it?"

"Y-yes."

"I'm sorry, Amata, but it's best to keep it short, at least until you're a little more proficient in defending yourself. We don't have to cut it all off."

"Alright…" Amata said, tearing up a little.

"Come on, it won't be that bad! I had to cut mine." Michael ran his hand through his dirty blonde locks and said, "It's not like cutting my hair took anything away from my amazing looks. Nova's actually offered me several positions at the bar as a male prostitute."

Amata chuckled and asked, "Really? Did you decline?"

"Yeah … of course right after that, she always asks if I would like to rent her services, and when I turn her down, she says it's free of charge and I have to hurry up and leave the bar before she just starts lustfully ripping my clothes off."

"I can't really imagine anyone doing anything to you lustfully!" Amata said, bursting into laughter.

"Thanks for the blow to the old self-esteem, Amata," Michael smiled. "… It's not that funny, y'know."

"Yes it is!"

* * *

The shot flew left of the target. It was a good attempt, but good wasn't what Amata was going for. They'd been out at the firing range Michael had set up for her half a mile from Megaton for a while now, and she was getting frustrated. Michael had taped three dinner plates to three poles dug into the dirt and painted a red circle in the center of each one. Amata had only been able to hit one of the targets with a lucky shot, but the other two were still perfectly in tact.

She felt strange feeling the fall air against the back of her neck. Butch had cut her long dark hair, but left enough to where she might still be happy. It was slicked back, coming down to the back of her skull and ending where Butch's scissors had snipped. Amata would probably never forgive him for cutting it, even though she knew he was to.

The plate on the far left exploded into a dozen pieces with Amata's next shot and she grinned excitedly. "I hit another! I hit another one!" she cheered. She popped the empty clip out of the hunting rifle and set it down.

"Nice shot, Amata," Michael said. He was sitting in a chair behind her, playing with his combat knife. "You're starting to get the hang of it."

"My shoulder still hurts like hell, though…"

"You'll get used to that after a while. We're making some great progress though, considering it's your very first day."

"Really?"

"You're a natural at this."

Since his departure from 101, Michael's body had become accustomed to the wasteland, and that included his senses. He could just barely hear the heavy footsteps trudging through sand in their vicinity. He held a finger to his mouth to silence Amata, who was asking him about cleaning the rifle and listened more carefully.

He picked up a 32. caliber revolver and followed the sounds of footsteps. Michael took cover behind a large boulder and leaned his head around it to get a look. A supermutant, one of the grunts, was standing alone by a wrecked car. The beast was screaming something about demons in his head.

Michael waved Amata over and nodded to the mutant. She watched as it paced back and forth, lumbering slowly. "Amata, I want you to take this one," Michael told her.

Amata's eyes grew wide, and she looked at Michael like he was insane. "You want me to what?"

"You've got to kill one eventually, and we've got on right here, just begging to be put outta' his misery."

Amata hesitated for a few seconds, thinking about what Michael was asking her to do. Then she shouldered her rifle and aimed down thee top, centering the supermutant like she'd done the dinner plates just a few minutes before.

"Aim for the head, it's your best shot to take him out in one go."

She adjusted her aim and brought the rifle up to the mutant's head. She tried to steady her breath, but was so afraid that she could barely concentrate. It wasn't another plate she was about to shoot, but a ten foot tall monster that could kill her with ease.

Michael's hand rested on her shoulder, giving Amata some comfort. "I've got your back, Amata," he assured her.

Amata placed her finger over the trigger, and squeezed it. The shot zipped by the mutants head and landed somewhere off in the distance. The mutant spun around and roared at the young woman.

Her body tensed, but Michael tightened his grip on her shoulder and calmly said, "Eject the shell casing and try again."

She quickly followed his instructions and fired a second time. Another miss.

The mutant came rushing towards them, its red eyes trained on Amata. "Try one more time…" Michael told her.

She ejected the second cartridge, aimed for the head and fired a third time. The bullet drilled a hole through the mutant's skull and burst through the back. The monstrosity collapsed to the dirt, dead.

Amata dropped her rifle, and fell to her knees, trying to find breath that just wasn't there. She would've had another panic attack if Michael wasn't there, couching her through everything.

"You okay?" he asked her.

She nodded violently, trying not to vomit. There wasn't anything in her stomach to expel, but she still gagged repeatedly.

"You did great," Michael said. He helped her up to her feet and said, "Come on, let's go back to the house."

"I don't see how you do this..." she said, holding her abdomen.

Michael was silent for a moment. "... I don't have much of a choice."


	7. Bravo and Rumble

**_Two Months Later…_**

"Afternoon, Star Paladin Wolf," Hanson, the Citadel's gate guard greeted as Michael walked through with Amata and Athena flanking him.

"Where's the lady of the house?" Michael asked.

The man shrugged and went back to guarding his post. Amata turned back to Michael and said, "I am always amazed at the size of this place…"

Amata's training had been going fantastically. She'd become a crack-shot, falling head over heels with the hunting rifle she'd been using. Michael also learned that she had a surprising knack for repair, and not just little things but weapons and armor, too.

She was really on her way to becoming a survivor. Though she still didn't have the heart, or lack there of to be more specific. She'd yet to understand that even the nicest person had to sometimes turn off their humanity, for their own sake. Like many, Michael had learned the hard way that in the wasteland nice guys are easy prey.

"The awe will wear off after you've been here a couple of times," Michael told her. He looked down at Athena, who was staring up at him with pleading eyes. "Alright, go and find your brother…"

She darted off, running around a barking like crazy until her sibling emerged from the depths of the Citadel. They trotted off together, probably to see what kind of trouble they could get into.

They ran past Sarah who was over by the doors to A-ring, speaking with Knight Captain Colvin, who, along with Glade, made a full recovery from his injuries. She stepped aside to let the two K-9s pass and looked to their master as he walked up.

"You mind controlling those two?" Sarah remarked.

"Don't get mad just 'cause they know how to have fun … unlike some people," Michael said.

"Was that directed toward me? You can't be serious," Sarah said, shaking her head.

"Ma'am, you can't really blame the dogs. They couldn't have been raised right with a master like Wolf," Colvin said, patting Michael's shoulder as he walked off.

Michael raised his middle finger to the sniper, laughing. "Ass-hole."

Michael turned back to Sarah and asked, "So, the scout's learn anything about our little … friend?"

"Not really," Sarah said. "After your run-in with her, she seems to have dropped off of the map. No one's seen her anywhere."

"Fantastic," Michael sighed. "I'm sure she'll pop up eventually, especially if she hates me as much as I think she does."

"I can't wait."

"Yeah, I bet."

Sarah looked over at the woman standing beside Michael and then back at him. "Are you giving tours of the Citadel now?" Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"No, I tried that and no one was interested," Michael joked. "This is Amata, my apprentice, I guess. Amata this is my commander, Sentinel Sarah Lyons."

Sarah extended her hand and shook Amata's. The dark haired woman hadn't noticed just how much bigger Sarah was than her. She was several inches taller than Amata, and was slightly more muscular.

"It's nice to meet you," Amata said.

"Likewise," Sarah replied. "… You couldn't have found a better teacher?"

"I ask myself that same question sometimes," Amata replied.

"Sentinel Lyons! Star Paladin Wolf!" someone shouted from the gate.

Both Lyons and Michael turned in the direction of the gate. "The hell's going on over there?" Sarah asked.

"Sounds like Hanson… he's on gate guard duty today." Michael pulled his 10mm submachine gun out of its holster, switched the safety off, and said, "Amata, stay over here."

Sarah and Michael rushed over to the gate, weapons in hand. They came to the giant metal doors as they were sliding open and three figures were walking through. All three were clad in battered Brotherhood of Steel armor.

"Oh my god…" Sarah whispered. "It's Bravo unit."

Bravo was the Aqua Pura delivery team that'd gone missing several months ago without a trace. Sarah recognized them because of the blue letter B painted on the chest of their armor. The Brotherhood had thought Bravo dead.

"They're alive!" Michael shouted.

"Yeah, but two members aren't present."

Michael and Sarah parted, allowing the trio to come through. They stopped, turned and saluted Sarah. "Bravo returning for duty. It's good to be home, Ma'am," one of them said tiredly.

Michael looked at holo-tag hanging from his neck and saw that it read Knight Captain Lanis. He never saw Lanis, or the other members of Bravo for that matter, around the Citadel because they were always assigned the most rigorous tasks out in the Capitol Wasteland.

Sarah sharply returned the salute and said, "Welcome back, Bravo. I want you down in A-ring with a report ready in ten."

"Yes ma'am," Bravo replied simultaneously.

"… But go get something to eat first. That's an order."

She could practically see the smiles on Bravo's faces through their helmets as they darted toward the mess hall. Sarah tapped Michael's shoulder and said, "I want you to sit in on this debrief, alright?"

"No problem. I'd love to hear what Bravo's been up to for the last sixty days…"

The three members of Bravo arrived in the Great Hall, where the Pride conducted their briefings. The room really only consisted of a large circular wood table with chairs on all sides. Each of them stood before Sarah and Michael, standing at attention. Bravo consisted of Knight Captain Eric Gonzales, Knight Newton Keller, and the newest member who joined just before they went missing, Knight Julia Neil.

Gonzales had light brown skin, dark eyes and dark hair cut near bald. Several tattoos ran down his neck and chest, visible because of the t-shirt he was wearing. Michael always asked him where he got them done, but he always told him it was confidential.

Keller was the shortest of the three with green eyes that sat behind a pair of rectangular glasses. He had skullcap on his head, no matter the temperature outside, and always kept a toothpick in his mouth.

Finally, Julia had jet black hair, a pale complexion, and brown eyes. The bottom half of her face was hidden by the bandana that she kept over her mouth. She was quiet, never really speaking to anyone outside of Bravo much.

"At ease, Bravo," Michael said, nodding to them. "Take a seat so we can get this thing started."

All of them took a seat and Gonzales crossed his arms and smiled. "Alright, where do you want me to start?" he asked.

"Start two months ago, right when we lost contact with your team," Sarah said.

"Well, we were making our way through downtown, with our Brahmin in tow when we were ambushed," Gonzales said.

"Was it a woman – pale, red hair?" Michael asked.

"No sir, we were hit by the Outcasts."

The two members of the Lyons Pride stood there, almost like they didn't hear what Gonzales just told them. "… Are you sure?" Sarah asked.

"There's no doubt about it, ma'am," Keller told them. "They had the red and black power armor, the red insignia on the shoulder, everything that identifies the Outcasts."

"They captured us and hauled us off to some bunker in northern downtown D.C.," Gonzales continued.

"We haven't had an engagement with them in eight months," Sarah said. "Why would they attack again? And why now?"

"Their reasoning is not our concern," Elder Lyons said, standing in the doorway.

"Dad, you're up!" Sarah said.

The only thing that seemed to be holding the Elder up was the steel cane that he was applying the majority of his weight to.

"You took the words right outta' my mouth Owen," Michael said.

"The Outcasts still believe our way to be against the Brotherhood of Steel's code," Owen said. "They believe us to be an affront to the organization that must comply, or be exterminated, but we will not go without a fight. I want all of our recourses concentrated on ridding the wasteland of the Outcasts, understood?"

Sarah bit her bottom lip, an annoyed air about her. "Understood," she said.

"Bravo, you're dismissed," Michael said. "Go get some R and R."

The members of Bravo stood, saluted and quickly exited the room along with Elder Lyons. As soon as they were out of earshot, Sarah turned and slammed her fist into the wall as hard as she could.

"Fuck!" she screamed.

"Sarah we've got to let her go," Michael said, already knowing what she was pissed about.

"She killed Gallows, almost killed my father, and I'm just supposed to forget about it," Sarah said through grit teeth.

"Sarah, I want to find her just as much as you do, Kodiak does too, but we have to worry about the Outcasts. They pose a much bigger threat than one person, no matter how strong or smart she might be."

"I know but…"

"It's not your fault that Gallows is dead, Sarah."

She sighed weakly. "I know. It's just … the Pride are the closest thing I have to a family. All of them except for you."

"I'm not like family? That's a little insulting."

"I mean, you're different than the rest of the Pride. I've known them for a long time, some since I was a little girl. At first I thought you were just another waster, but you turned out to be one of the most determined people I know, and my best friend."

"Yeah, bet you didn't see that coming," Michael laughed. "So, what's our next move, Lyons?"

Sarah composed herself, took a few deep breaths, and said, "Well, I guess we should rest up."

"'Cause we go to war tomorrow."

* * *

The vibration of Lucy's thrusters shook the interior of the vertibird. It was inbound to one of the many Outcast safehouses strewn throughout the wastes, as were three other vertibirds going in different directions. The Brotherhood planned a multi-pronged strike against the Outcast as a whole, trying to locate their leader, Protector Casdin at their headquarters, Fort Independence.

Strike Team Rumble, as Xander had dubbed them, was led by Sarah Lyons, each member of the Strike Team handpicked by the young woman. Rumble was Sarah Lyons, Star Paladin Wolf, Knight Xander, Knight Hanson, and much to Michael's annoyance, Amata. She insisted that he bring her with them on this operation so she could have a little more live combat experience.

"If you haven't done it yet, check your weapons, check your ammo, 'cause we're just few minutes out from our destination," Ray shouted back from the cockpit.

Wolf knew he'd already checked his, and he'd noticed Amata out of the corner of his eye checking her hunting rifle for the third time since their departure. He didn't like her coming with them on this op, but she did need more live fire experience. All she'd faced so far were a few small supermutants, and groups of raiders. The Outcasts were a little different, though, and Wolf knew that. They were a rogue faction of the Brotherhood of Steel, meaning they had the training and weaponry to do some serious damage.

"You alright there, blondie?" Xander asked.

Michael and Sarah glanced at each other, a little confused as to which of the two he was addressing. "Believe me, Michael, he's not talking to me," Sarah said.

"Oh, yeah, he's afraid of you. I forgot," Michael said.

"But, he's right, you seem a little distracted," Sarah said.

Michael shook his head and said, "Nothings wrong, I'm just a little worried about this operation. It could get hairy."

"Well, that's why I chose a bunch of people I trust for this team," Sarah said, "… and one stowaway."

"I'm a stowaway? I've never been a stowaway before," Amata smiled.

"Yeah, and I still don't approve of you being here," Michael told her.

"Approve? That's a parental word," Xander pointed out with a grin.

Ray bellowed a laugh from the cockpit. "Awe, pappa Mikey is worried about his little pupil!" Ray mocked.

"Shut the fuck up, Ray," Michael groaned. He knew that "pappa Mikey" was going to become a thing.

"What's wrong, pappa Mikey?" Sarah joined in. "You sound upset."

"Pappa Mikey can't believe this is happening," Xander mimicked.

"I'm gonna' kick your ass later, Xander."

"Boys and girls, enemy compound ahead!" Ray announced. "Ready-up!"

Michael donned his helmet as everyone brought their weapons up and stopped the amusing chatter they had going. Ray could see Fort Independence, the rectangular two story building, coming into view and flipped the glass case off of Lucy's missile fire control. Once he had a lock on their front gates, where several guards stood, he unleashed a three missile salvo, turning anything in front of them into a pillar of smoke.

The automated turrets that stood in front of the building unloaded into Lucy's hull as Ray hovered her a few feet off of the ground. The vertibird's doors slid open and Strike Team Rumble quickly jumped out as potshots were taken at them from Fort Independence's windows.

Michael dove and slammed into a concrete barricade for cover. He peeked over to see what they were dealing with initially. There were shots coming from three different windows, but that appeared to be it at first. Then three sentrybots rolled out of the front and began blasting away at the invading Brotherhood of Steel.

"Enemy armor units: twelve-o-clock!" Hanson called out.

"Got it!" Xander shouted, hoisting his mini-gun up and spinning the barrels. The river of bullets he fired crashed into the enemy sentrybots, tearing at their thick armored plating.

"Hanson, Wolf, flank left!" Sarah ordered.

Knight Hanson came to Wolf's back as the two went around to the left side of the building, where the tall chain-link fence that surrounded it was crushed. They climbed over and opened fire on the sentrybot's backs. Once the war machines fell, Hanson turned and chucked a frag grenade into one of Fort Independence's second floor windows.

The team didn't even wait for the following boom to head towards the front door. "Anyone hit?" Sarah asked her team.

"No."

"Nope."

"Negative."

They turned to Amata who was in awe of Rumble's efficiency, how they moved as a unit almost flawlessly.

"Were you hit?" Sarah asked her.

"Oh, uh, no," Amata responded.

Sarah nodded. She hit her communicator and said, "Ray, hang back until you hear from us. I don't want you getting shot down."

"Roger, ma'am," Ray responded. Lucy slowly ascended until it was out of firing range and began to circle the area.

"Alright, let's get in there, get Protector Casdin, and get out," Sarah told Rumble.

"What does he look like? None of us have ever seen him before," Hanson said.

"He's older, in his mid fifties, Asian, with balding hair," Sarah said.

"Alright, I'm ready whenever you all are," Wolf said.


	8. Hook

Xander planted a breaching charge on the door, right over the lock, and primed it.

"Charge is set!" Xander yelled, as everyone turned away from the door.

The charge detonated, blasting the door off of its hinges and sending it flying into Fort Independence. Xander stepped into the doorway and caught a bullet to the right side of his helmet. Wolf grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back out of the doorway and the hail of bullets that followed.

"You alright?" Sarah asked Xander.

He nodded as Sarah assessed the dent in his helmet. He was lucky that whoever fired on him wasn't using armor piercing rounds, or else Xander would've been headless.

The hallway on the other side of the doorway led to a staircase to the right, where three Outcast Defenders stood, firing away with assault rifles. Wolf leaned into the doorway and returned fire with his laser rifle, hitting a few of them, but not taking any out.

He then flipped a switch on the side of his gun, beside the trigger. The rifle began to emit a high pitched sound, meaning it was charging. Wolf swung the rifle back into the hall, looked down the night vision sight, and targeted the Outcast in the center of the trio. He pulled the trigger and a wide cylinder was beamed out of the rifle, plowing into the torso of one of the Outcast. The man's chest-plate was superheated, turning a bright white and then red, and bubbled away, along with most of his stomach and ribcage.

Wolf returned to the safety of his cover and let the fried ammo pack fall from the weapon. He slipped another into the anchor that held the packs up and switched the gun back to a normal firing mode. When he poked his head back into the hall he saw the remaining two Outcasts dragging their ally's half disintegrated corpse up to the second floor.

"Move up," Wolf ordered.

Rumble moved into Fort Independence and checked their corners for enemy contacts, but found none. "We're clear," Hanson said.

"Don't be so sure…" Wolf muttered. He remembered how Ghost had come out of thin air with the best cloaking tech he'd ever seen.

"Sir?"

Wolf didn't respond, just began to move toward the stairs. Sarah was right behind him, followed by Amata, Xander and Hanson who brought up the rear. As soon as they got to the top of the staircase, a protecto-tron advanced on them wearing the Outcast colors.

As soon as the machine came into view, Wolf dropped down to one knee, giving Sarah Lyons a clear line of sight since she was standing and they both tore the machine apart, piece by piece. Before Sarah even had a chance to reload her Chinese assault rifle, two more protecto-trons and a robobrain came out of the woodwork.

As Wolf and Sarah dealt with that, Amata turned around and saw an Outcast ascending the staircase they had just come up, a combat shotgun in hand. She knew she could take him, even with his thick armor. All she needed to do was hit where his armor was weakest. Michael had showed her the spots a few times before, in case she went up against an opponent wearing power armor.

Amata shouldered her rifle as the Outcast barreled toward her and aimed down the sight. She lowered the barrel to his right knee and squeezed the trigger, blowing through the plate protecting his knee. Amata smoothly ejected the casing, and fired again at the exact same spot, tearing through the man's knee and dropping him to the floor.

Hanson had seen her take the Outcast down. He was about to open up on him with his sub machinegun, but she beat him to it. "You're a crack shot!" Hanson said.

After Michael blasted the last standing protecto-tron, he turned and said, "She did learn from the best, Hanson."

Xander cocked his head to the side, a little smirk on his lips. "What're ya' talking about? I don't remember teaching her!"

"Cut the chatter, and concentrate on locating Protector Casdin," Sarah said.

Once Sarah began to walk off, Michael turned over to Xander and said, "Ooh, you got in trouble…"

"I'm surprised she didn't tell me to go stand in the corner," Xander said.

Rumble came to a large room on the second floor, over looking another large room below. It appeared to be where the Outcasts slept and ate, but no one was around. Sarah glanced around the room, searching for their intended target. It was starting to frustrate her that they hadn't come across the man yet.

Sarah really wanted Rumble to be the one to find Casdin.

Wolf had taken a walk around most of the building, hoping to find someone. He returned to Rumble, shaking his head disappointedly. "It's like they all up and left."

Sarah turned to him and sighed, removing her helmet. "Hanson, bring the radio," she ordered.

Hanson walked over with the long-range receiver and handed it to her. She turned it on and said, "This is Strike Team Rumble reporting. Fort Independence is a no-go." The Sentinel awaited a response.

"Strike Team Justice reporting. No one's at the old elementary school," Kodiak came back.

"Strike Team Vicious reporting. No luck at Old Olney," Glade reported.

"Strike Team Cerberus reporting. We found Protector McGraw at Outcast Outpost, but no Casdin. McGraw was killed in a firefight," Colvin said. "Sorry ma'am."

Sarah ran her hand through her hair in annoyance and said, "So, where the hell is he?"

"Guys!" Amata shouted.

Everyone turned to see Amata aiming her rifle toward a man standing a ways behind the team. He wore a suit of power armor different than the normal model, with a strange horned helmet and spikes on the shoulders. There was a supersledge in his hand.

"Is that him?" Amata asked.

"We'll just have to find out…" Sarah said, raising rifle.

"I hate to disappoint, but I am not Protector Casdin. He's out at the moment," the man said. His voice was deep and booming. "But in his place, I keep an eye on things around here. My name is Punisher Jordan."

"Well, Punisher, if you tell us where the Protector is hiding, we'll let you live," Wolf said.

"I don't bargain with you natives," the man said, bellowing a laugh. "And besides, I'm under strict orders to not let you lot leave Fort Independence alive."

Punisher Jordan slowly started to approach Rumble, hoisting his hammer into the air. Sarah fired several bursts from her rifle into the man's torso, but her bullets pinged and bounced off of the armor like they were made of plastic. She froze for a minute, stunned that her anti-armor rounds couldn't pierce his armor.

Jordan swung his hammer in a wide arc, looking to hit any member of Rumble who wasn't quick enough to get the hell out of the way. They all ducked down, or bounded backward in time except for Sarah, who was knocked across the room by the super sledge's reactive force generator. This internal drive increased the force of the hammer's hits threefold.

"Lyons!" Wolf shouted as her body flew through the air.

All members of Rumble scurried away from Jordan. Wolf turned and fired several red bolts from his energy rifle, which also couldn't pierce Jordan's suit. It must've been some form of new armor plating, which boded ill for the small unit.

"Focus fire on his torso!" he ordered.

The team let loose on Jordan's body, hoping they'd made at least a crack in him. Everyone's clips emptied, and they saw that there wasn't even a single dent in the enemy. Hanson snatched a stun grenade from his belt and tossed it into the air.

"Cover your eyes!" he warned.

The flash of light that the grenade emitted temporarily blinded Jordan, giving Rumble time to regroup and get a plan together. When the Punisher opened his eyes, Rumble was already gone.

Wolf and Xander dragged Sarah's limp body into a small storage room off of the main chamber they were just in. Wolf knelt down by her, and removed the Sentinel's helm. A trickle of blood spilled out of her mouth, and ran down her lip and chin. She was trying to clutch at her side, but couldn't get her arm up.

"Don't worry Sarah, we're gonna' get you outta' here," Wolf said. He glanced up at the rest of Rumble. "Ideas, anyone?"

Hanson shrugged and said, "That was the only light grenade I had."

"Where oh where did the mighty Brotherhood go?" they heard Jordan mock as he roamed the Fort.

Wolf grit his teeth. "I don't think we've got much of a choice but to retreat…" He switched on his pip-boy's short range radio and said, "Ray, I'm going to need precision heavy MG strike on Fort Independence."

"Pardon me? Aren't you still in there?" Ray asked.

"Sarah's injured and we can't make it out to the exit. I'll give you the coordinates in a moment."

"Just don't get pissed if I hit one of ya'll."

Wolf stood and turned to his team. "Get Lyons out of here, and I'll see what I can do about Jordan."

"Hanson and Amata can take her, I'll back you up," Xander said.

"No, I've got a plan. Just make sure that she gets out of here alive."

Wolf was going to handle the rest of this on his own. He didn't want to lose another man while under his command, like what'd happened to Gallows. He never told anyone, but Wolf blamed himself for Gallows' death and was going to make sure that he didn't lose his life in vain.

Wolf stepped out of the storage room, trying to tiptoe in his heavy steel boots. For such a large man, Punisher Jordan was being surprisingly quiet. As Wolf wandered around Independence, he checked his ammo pouch to see just how many energy packs he had left. The one currently in his weapon was half empty, and he only had one other hanging from his belt. He wondered if a charge beam could break through Jordan's defense…

Without warning, the super sledge came rushing at Wolf's head. His dodge wasn't even all the way complete, and the hammer tapped the top of Wolf's helmet. The momentum pushed him toward the floor, but, mainly due to the advanced power armor training he received from the late Paladin Vargas, Wolf used the it to roll up to a kneeling position.

"I see you have skill," Jordan said, nodding appreciatively. "What's your name and rank?"

Wolf hesitated for a moment. Rarely had anyone halted their attack just to ask his name. In fact, it'd never once happened to him in his short time in the wasteland. "Star Paladin Wolf."

"You're real name."

"Yours first."

"I see … Well, Paladin Wolf, I vow to you that your death shall be honorable, and that the scribes of the Brotherhood of Steel, the _real_ Brotherhood, will etch your name into the history books as Lyons' fiercest warrior."

Wolf found the term "real Brotherhood" quite humorous, considering to everyone at the Citadel thought the Outcast traitors and deserters. "You wanna' start now?" Wolf asked.

"Sure, let's begin."

Jordan closed the distance between the two, much faster than Wolf assumed he could, and swung the hammer downward. Wolf placed a hand on the floor and shoved himself back, the hammer breaking through the floor where he once stood, all the way to the ceiling of the first floor. Wolf blasted Jordan several times in the chest, which didn't deter the larger, seemingly more experienced fighter as he once again came rushing toward Wolf. The Star Paladin dropped to the floor and swept Jordan's feet, sending the man to the floor.

As Jordan tried to get back up to a vertical base, Wolf hurriedly slammed full energy pack into his rifle, and flipped the switch on the side. By the time Jordan got back up, the rifle was fully charged and Wolf released the entire energy pack into Jordan's chest.

His torso where the beam hit shined a bright red and orange, but was still intact. The beam seemed to have melted some of the armor away, but enough was still there to keep Jordan alive.

"Shit."

"That was a nice move. But it appears that you are out of ammo," Jordan said, standing, "and out of options…"

Wolf slowly backed away until he backed right into a wall, still clutching his rifle tightly. He began to tap his pip-boy's screen a few times like he was looking for something in its data-base.

"Just surrender. We could use a fine warrior like you."

"Yeah, no thanks…" Wolf smiled from inside his helmet. The brought his pip-boy up to his face and screamed, "Light it up!"

Wolf dropped down to the floor, as low as he could go. Before Jordan could even begin to wonder what he was doing, heavy-grade pre-war anti-armor rounds began tearing through the wall Wolf had been leaning up against. The majority of them just flew wild, but several hit Jordan dead on. Everytime one struck him, he was pushed back by at least a foot. The dents in his thick armor grew in size and quantity with every passing second, and fifteen seconds after the hail of fire started, the onslaught was over.

Wolf glanced up and saw Jordan lying on the floor across from him, several wide holes in his chest and two in his face. Wolf pulled himself up to his feet, turned and looked at the wall that was no longer there. Hovering on the outside of Fort Independence, right in clear view, was Lucy.

"Did I get him?" Ray asked.

"Hell yes you got him!" Wolf said happily. He glanced over at the woman painted on the side of vertibird and said, "I swear if Lucy had a face, I'd kiss her right now."

"Quit ogling my girl, and get in," Ray said.

* * *

Amata was mostly quiet on the way back to the Citadel. Ray was pushing Lucy's afterburners near their limit, trying to back as quickly as possible. Michael sat by Sarah's side, checking her vitals as Amata looked on.

"She … gonna' be okay?" Amata asked.

Michael just smiled at her and responded, "I dunno'." He turned toward Sarah and asked, "Are you going to be okay?"

Sarah looked up at him through narrow slits and whispered, "… Go to hell."

"Don't worry. I've seen her take harder hits than this. She'll be fine," Michael said, not taking his eyes off Lyons.

Amata wondered just how long Michael had been in the Brotherhood of Steel, and just how much he'd been through with Sarah Lyons.

"You'd think special forces operatives would be a little more careful about getting smacked around with giant hammers," Ray yelled to the back.

Sarah gestured for Michael to come closer. He leaned his head down so she could whisper in his ear. Once she finished, she tapped his face.

"Hey, Ray! Sarah wanted me to tell you that she's going to key Lucy as soon as she's back on her feet," Michael said.

"She's, uh, joking right? Right?"

"Just concentrate on flying, country boy."

Ray turned his eyes back to the terrain and saw that the Citadel was in sight. He switched on the radio and called the watchtower. "This is vertibird 33, requesting landing. And a gurney, if you've got one available," Ray said.

There was no response.

"Hey, anyone there? This is Ray coming in, and I've got one injured. Respond."

Michael walked up to the cockpit and asked, "Everything alright up here?"

"No one's responding."

The radio beeped and a response finally came. "Welcome home," a female voice said.

The Citadel was engulfed in several fiery explosions, emanating from different parts of the structure. Wolf's eyes watched as the storm of metal, stone and fire bloomed like a flower death had picked.

It seemed like a nightmare. But, unlike a nightmare, Michael couldn't just wake up, and shake it off. This was real. This was another image that would be forever engraved into Michael's brain. Something he wouldn't forget for the rest of his life.


	9. Line

After the explosions ended, as the dust started to settle onto the land, the team started to go through the wreckage that was the Citadel. They hoped and prayed that someone, anyone was still alive within. Wolf wrapped his hands around a large triangular piece of metal and attempted to lift it. It was blocking the entrance to A-ring.

Xander and Hanson came to his side and grabbed on to it as well. Wolf nodded to them and said, "On three. One. Two. Three..."

They all pushed and were able to shimmy the metal over enough for one person to squeeze through. "You two keep checking out here. I'll look through A-ring," Wolf said.

"Be careful in there, man," Hanson said.

"I'll keep my radio on, so if you find anything, let me know," Wolf said.

He slipped his way through the doors to A-ring, and switched on his pip-boy light, beaming some light onto the powerless facility. As he searched every room for survivors, not finding much but corpses and collapsed ceilings, his mind wandered, his thoughts drifting to Sarah Lyons. Wolf had told Ray to take her out to Doc Church in Megaton, the only doctor in the entire wasteland that he trusted.

Wolf didn't think anyone had a doubt in their mind as to who was responsible for the destruction of the Citadel. The precise, high-grade military explosives that were probably used could've only come from the Outcasts. Chances are they stumbled across them while searching for technology to keep away from the "savages". What Wolf didn't know, though, was how they were able to get within the Citadel and plant the explosives, without some sort of fight from the Brotherhood.

There was a boy, Squire Maxson, lying on the floor, half of his body being crushed by a large piece of stone that'd fallen from the wall. As Wolf mourned the boy, the sound of something falling, a power armor helmet by the way it rung, brought his attention to his left. Wolf had his rifle raised, trained on Star Paladin Cross, who was standing by the wall, her helmet by her foot.

"They just can't keep you down, can they Cross?"

"Won't stop them from trying."

Wolf was glad Cross was alive. She was a good friend of his father, and a ferocious fighter.

"You didn't happen to bump into anyone since the fireworks, did you?" Wolf asked.

"Only Elder Lyons, Sawbones and Paladin Tristan," Cross responded.

"The Elder's still kicking? That resilient bastard…" Wolf smirked. "So, what happened here, Cross? Where did the explosives come from?"

"I don't know. I was on watch all day yesterday and didn't see a thing. No one should've been able to sneak by us."

Wolf was silent for several seconds. "Maybe someone got in, someone invisible?"

"No, not possible. We kept the gate closed the entire day, which was Sentinel Lyons' suggestion. No one could've gotten into the bailey, unless they could fly."

Wolf shook his head in frustration and said, "We'll figure it out later. Let's just get the survivors we can, grab a few vertibirds and get the hell outta' here."

"And go where?"

"GNR."

* * *

Michael stepped out of the vertibird and looked up at what would be the Brotherhood's new home for an undetermined amount of time: Galaxy News Radio. The place was big enough to accommodate the members of the Brotherhood. The ones that survived, at least.

Michael embraced Three Dog, the lord of the airwaves, as some called him, in a hug and said, "Thank you for letting us crash here, Three Dog."

"I told you, GNR is a safe haven for anyone fighting the good fight, and that includes you and your brothers and sisters," Three Dog said with his usual charismatic flair.

Michael glanced back at is people who were offloading some of their gear and equipment and bringing it into the radio station. Just a handful of them were left, maybe twenty or thirty, including the ones that were already stationed at GNR. Desperate was an understatement in regards to their situation.

"What happened, man? Where's the rest of you?" Three Dog asked.

"Buried."

"Those Outcast guys, right?" It always amazed Michael just how well informed Three Dog was. "What're you gonna' do? They seem to have you up against the ropes."

Michael turned to Elder Lyons who was just walking up. "Surrender may be our only option," Lyons said.

"Admitting defeat, Elder? Doesn't sound like you," Michael said.

"I have to do what's best for the survival of my people." The frustration in his voice was clear. He didn't like the idea of giving up any more than Michael did.

"You think that Protector Casdin's going to back down if you wave the white flag?" Michael asked.

"I … don't know," Lyons said. Owen didn't tell anyone, but he knew that things were hopeless for them at this point. They didn't have enough men to put up a respectable fight against the Outcasts, let alone win against them.

Three Dog walked up to the Elder, and shook his hand. "Well, whatever your decision, fight or surrender, just know that the people, and Three Dog are with you."

"I appreciate your hospitality."

Three Dog saw Hanson and Cross struggling with a large crate and rushed over to help them. Michael approached Elder Lyons and faced him, staring right into the older man's eyes. "Are we really giving up?" Michael asked seriously.

"We're living to fight another day, Michael."

Michael thought carefully about the Elder's words and agreed. This just wasn't a winnable battle, no matter how much he wanted it to be. "Hey, I'm heading to Megaton to check up on Sarah. Do wanna' ride along?" Michael asked.

"No. She'll be fine in your hands for now."

* * *

The day was slipping into night, and the sun was slowly dropping below the horizon. Amata's hand gently stroked Athena's fur as she watched the sunset. The duo came out to a small hill near Megaton almost every evening just to watch.

"The air feels nice tonight, doesn't it, Athena?" Amata asked her little friend. She wasn't expecting a response, but it was nice to be able to talk to someone who just listened.

Amata looked up the winding dirt road that led to Megaton and saw Michael's familiar form strolling up it. He didn't have his armor on anymore, just a t-shirt and shorts.

He came to Amata and said, "You're gonna' roast your fucking eyeballs staring at that thing."

"Better than doing nothing," Amata said.

"So how's Sarah doing?"

"Doc Church said that she'll be fine with a few days' bed rest and a daily stimpack and med-X. She's at your house."

"Wow, I haven't heard good news in a pretty long time..."

"I brought her up to speed about what happened at the Citadel. She didn't seem too happy about it."

"I bet."

As he was walking off, Michael stopped, turned and looked at Amata, who was still sitting on the ground. Amata had witnessed the destruction of an entire fortress, and the deaths of hundreds of people that day, and the two of them had yet to speak of it. When Ray first touched the virtibird down in front of the Citadel, they got to see several dead, and the smell flesh burning. Amata vomited whatever was in her stomach.

"You know you're going to see more horrors like today, right? It comes with life out here," Michael told her.

"I'll be prepared next time."

Michael shook his head with a laugh. "Alright, princess, how about I give you your final lesson in wasteland survival?"

Amata shrugged. "Sure. What is it?"

"A riddle," Michael said. He took a deep breath and recited it. "Once upon a time, in a land bathed in radioactive death, there was a man."

"I think I've heard this one," Amata interrupted.

"He came to the realization that to scrape-by is to live. To scavenge is to survive, and he became confident in his abilities. Then, something grabbed him, shook him to his core and tossed him about like a wave. Unavoidable. Unstoppable. When he thought he was strong, weakness struck him, broke him down and brought him to his knees. In the process of this man's destruction, though, he realized what the truth about survival was. What did he realize?"

Amata had no idea what he was looking her to say. She didn't get the riddle at all. It almost sounded like a really dark joke. Then the answer hit her like a freight train. "I'll never be prepared…" she muttered.

"Bingo."

"I can never be fully prepared for what's out there, because there's no knowing what I'll run into."

"So, what's the solution?"

"Adapt?"

A Michael smiled and said, "Princess, there's nothing more that I can teach ya'. You just graduated professor Michael Desmond's school of Capitol Wasteland survival. Congratulations."

"Thanks."

Michael walked away, leaving Amata to her thoughts. She wondered if that riddle was really about him, or if Michael had made it up. She hoped he'd just made the story up, or something, but knew that more likely than not, that was just Michael's life.

Michael opened the door to his home and stepped inside. Sarah was lying on the sofa, staring up at the spider webs on the ceiling. Her left arm was in a sling and bandages wrapped around her chest and upper abdomen, which she wore beneath a thin undershirt. She looked up at Michael when she heard the door opening and smiled.

"You look like shit," Michael said. "Your dad's fine, he's just overseeing the move to Three Dog's."

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, something that was actually quite painful with her bruised ribs. "So, I'm guessing this is the Brotherhood of Steel's last hurrah, huh?"

"Looks that way," Michael said as he walked past Sarah. He went to the kitchen, opened the fridge and got two beers out. He twisted both the tops off and brought it out to the living room. "How about a drink?"

Sarah accepted the beer with right hand and swallowed a little. She scrunched her face up and asked, "What the hell is this?"

"It's beer," Michael said. "Brewed by hand by a friend of mine. He sells it at the local bar."

"Does he know it tastes like ghoul piss?"

"How the hell do you know what ghoul piss tastes like?"

"That is none of your business."

Sarah drank a little more of bad tasting liquid and sat up. "So, you're a well traveled guy. What do you suggest I do from now on, since I'm no longer going to be Sentinel Sarah Lyons?"

Michael stroked his chin thoughtfully. "There's always a need for mercenaries and caravan guards. The Church of Atom could always use a priestess."

"Wait, are you talking about the nuts that worship the fucking bomb outside? Y'know, I'll give them credit – they are some devout lunatics."

"You're not gonna' even think about it?"

"Alright, what does a priestess of Atom do, exactly?"

"Well, you'll probably be in charge of servicing the bomb, making sure it's dangerously close to exploding at all times, that it's still emitting an unstable amount of radiation and you'll probably be in charge of confessional."

"They have confessional?"

"I really don't know; I try to give that asylum – er, I mean, church – a wide birth."

The two of them laughed as they drank. Sarah's deep blue eyes watched Michael closely. He was sitting there right beside her, the only member of the Brotherhood she didn't of as family. He was closer to her than that.

She recalled their first encounter, when a scrawny kid clumsily stumbled across her team deep within the D.C. ruins. His face was covered in dust, his long hair was tied in a pony, and he had a broken down crap rifle in his arms. He looked like a deer in the headlights, and after he'd tagged along with the Brotherhood of Steel to the GNR building and parted ways with them, Sarah assumed he would've been dead within days. She learned the hard way not to bet against Michael Desmond.

After Michael showed up on the Citadel's doorstep, he started to hang around. He helped out whenever he got the chance, and became a mainstay in the organization. The more time he spent around the Brotherhood, the more time he spent around Sarah Lyons … and the fonder she grew of him. One day, Sarah noticed that when he accidentally brushed up against her in the hall, her heart started to race and she didn't know why. She subconsciously started gravitating toward him, using really any excuse to be around him. This was new to her, because Sarah had never once had a boyfriend or girlfriend. She'd never "fallen" for someone before, so this whole feeling frightened her, which wasn't an easy thing to do. She didn't exactly hate the feeling, though.

"… Michael?" Sarah asked.

"What's up?"

When he turned to her, Sarah leaned forward and kissed him. She sat her beer on the floor beside the couch and climbed on top of Michael, not breaking the deep kiss. Sarah had never been in love, but this is what she thought it'd feel like.

During the passionate exchange, the front door creaked open. Sarah and Michael looked, half expecting Amata to be standing there, but found Julia Neil of Bravo team standing in the doorway instead.

She pulled down the bandana that covered her mouth and said, "Oh, please, don't let me interrupt."

Something about the woman, even when Michael had first met her, seemed much too familiar. He'd met her somewhere before, he just knew it, but where when, and who she was, he just couldn't figure out.

"Neil? What the hell are you doing here?" Sarah asked, switching her brain back into Sentinel mode.

"I came to pick the two of you up," she smiled.

Finally Michael realized where he'd heard the chillingly familiar voice - inside the Anacostia Station, and on the vertibird right before the Citadel blew. Her face, now that she wasn't being covered up by that bandana, he recognized her, with that clear pale complexion, those dark eyes that seemed to look through him… It was the woman who Sarah had been so eager to meet. Ghost.

When Michael's muscles tensed, the woman drew the sword from before and stepped up to the two of them before either could get up from the sofa. "I wouldn't make any sudden movements if I were you, Desmond. I could kill both you and this stupid bitch before either of you can breathe."

"What?" Sarah said. She didn't know if this whole thing was a joke, or what.

"Oh, you can't tell who I am, little Ms. Lyons? Michael must've told you about the little spat we had at Anacostia Crossing," Ghost said smiling like a joke had been told.

"Oh my god…"

Ghost smashed the heel of her boot into the side of Sarah's face, sending her to the floor. She landed on her side, right on her bruised ribcage. When Michael tried to stand, Ghost spun around with the grace of a dancer and drove the point of her knee into his chest. Michael grabbed a hold of her leg before she could pull it back, hoping to throw her. Before he could, Ghost relentlessly beat him in the skull with the handle of her sword.

Once Michael released the woman, she slowly backed away. "You two are too much fun" – ghost spun around, kicking Michael in the head – "Unfortunately for you I can't play all day, so we simply must get going."

"Hey, Amata, you here? D'you fix my switchblade yet?" Butch asked as he came into the house.

As soon as he stepped through the threshold, Ghost turned, drawing a silenced 10mm from within her coat, and shot him once in the chest and once in the head. She quickly turned back around, placing the tip of her blade to Michael's throat.

"Do me a favor and stay quiet, m'kay?"

Michael held his tongue. He couldn't help looking at Butch's limp body, though. Butch was a bastard to him when they were kids, but after Michael saved his mom from a small pack of radroaches during his escape from 101, the two of them had actually become pretty good friends. Of course Butch still had the most terrible timing in the entire world.

Michael was grabbed roughly by his shoulder. "Now just sit still and let the meds do their thing," he was told.

Ghost pulled the collar of his shirt down and shoved a needle into Michael's chest. As soon as whatever was in the syringe shot into his system, Michael started to feel the effects. He tried to stand, but his legs were like wet noodles and he immediately went down. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was Sarah staring at him from her position on the floor, an expression of pain strewn across her face.


	10. Sinker

Amata and Athena walked back through the Megaton gate, wondering what Moriarty had at his bar to eat that evening. The sun had finally set and night had fallen, so Amata decided to head to stop and get something to eat. As she walked she glanced up at Michael's place, for no reason in particular, and saw a small crowd gathered near the door.

Some of them noticed Amata looking over in their direction and kind of avoided her gaze, but one, Billy Creel, met her eyes. He reluctantly waved her over and nudged Emily, his little girl, away. Amata ran to Creel, sensing something was wrong, Athena at her heels.

"What happened?"'

"I was just walking by and saw the door open…" Billy started, rubbing the back of his neck, painfully trying to think of a way to explain what he came across.

Amata looked past him to the house. She pushed by him, ignoring his suggestions to stay outside. Shoving everyone else aside politely, she approached the doorway and saw what they were all mumbling about.

A body was lying on the floor, a towel draped over the head and chest to cover them up. They were wearing a worn leather jacket that fit him tight across the chest. Amata knew who it was, but she still wanted to reach down and remove the towel. Once she could see his face, she shut her eyes and let the cloth fall back onto him. She noticed the two shell casings on the floor, one beside the sofa and the other next to Butch.

Amata ran upstairs and looked throughout the house for Michael, but he was no longer around. Sarah was missing too, and she wasn't really in the condition to for a long walk. Amata bounded back down the stairs, ran over to the gun cabinet and swung it open, grabbing her hunting rifle and several loaded clips. She also took a 10mm and the satchel Michael kept his medical supplies in.

She whistled at Athena, and without saying a word to anyone, the two left the house and headed for the Megaton gate. She knew she needed to get to GNR, tell the Brotherhood. They would know where the two Lyons' Pride members went, and what to do next.

* * *

The drug's effect on Michael's system slowly started to lessen and his sense began to return. He could see that he was in a small, dark, cold room. Michael tried to stand, but his hands were restrained behind his back, seemingly to the chair he was sitting on and he fell back to the seat.

"What … the hell happened last night?"

Michael recalled the previous night's events and remembered the psychotic woman coming into his house. He also remembered Butch being shot.

The door to the room he was in swung open and Julia Neil walked in, noticing Michael was awake. Her hair was bright red again and looked newly dyed. She pulled the cord that hung from the ceiling light, illuminating the room a little better.

"Finally awake? You've been out cold for two days now," the woman said, pulling up a wooden chair and sitting in front of Michael. "Lyons won't stop asking about you. 'Where is he?' 'What've you done with him?' 'You better not have hurt him,' she kept saying."

"Sarah?"

"She's not hurt. And before you ask where she is, the young Sentinel is in the room just next door to this one. I would've kept you two in the same room, but I don't want you getting frisky like at your place."

Neil picked up a comic book that she'd taken from Michael's house and flipped it open, scanning through the old illustrations.

"You know, I never liked comic books," she admitted. "The heroes are always portrayed as these morally pure 'white knights'. That's not realistic. There's no such thing as black and white, only varying shades of gray, my mother once told me. I didn't understand when she told me that, because I had yet to venture off into the wastes and experience the brutalities of life for myself, but I know now. Do you think gray is the only color in this world we live in."

Michael stared at her.

"That question wasn't rhetorical."

"What did I do to you? What did I do that pissed you off so much?"

She laughed and said, "I don't think I'm obligated to answer any of your questions. You're not in the position to demand any explanations, really."

"I think I'm entitled to know."

Neil threw the graphic novel down and said, "Revenge, Mr. Desmond; one of the oldest and most relatable reasons in the book. You know a little something about it too, don't you?"

"Tell me what I did to you."

"Here, why don't you look at this…" she said, reaching into the breast pocket of her shirt and fishing out a photograph. She walked over and held it before Michael's eyes. There was a middle aged man with brown hair standing, facing the camera, a woman with black hair sitting in front of him in a beautiful purple dress, a young girl that was probably five or six sat on her lap, smiling widely, and a girl that was a little older stood at the woman's side. It looked like a family photo.

"Aren't they a gorgeous little family? The older girl is me, and those are my parents and my little sister."

The face of her father was immediately recognized as that of the man Michael hated more than anyone in the entire world: Colonel Augustus Autumn, former leader of the Enclave military, and the man responsible for the death of Michael's father. Michael had killed Autumn himself within the Purifier.

"Colonel … Autumn was your father?" Michael asked as she put the picture away. "Oh shit."

"My real name is Candice Marie Autumn. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"I-"

"Killed my mother and baby sister? Yeah, you did. Along with hundreds of others that called Raven Rock home." She leaned in close to Michael's face and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Everyone thinks that you're a hero, some kind of wasteland messiah, but you're not. You're just another murderer, no better than any of us wasters."

"Believe me, I know I'm no hero! I'm just a guy who was dealt a few bad hands. You don't even know the whole story behind what happened with your father."

"Don't I? Your father, the renowned scientist, finally finished the machine that would bring his late wife's lifelong dream of purifying the waters of the Capitol Wasteland to fruition. Of course the Enclave came and attempted to take the Jefferson Memorial, and your father, while negotiating with mine, activated the Purifier, exposing the both of them to fatal levels of radiation. My dad survived, yours didn't. Am I right so far?"

"… Yes."

"I'll go on, then. So, after losing your only remaining family, you trudged on and found the G.E.C.K., the key to purifying the waste's waters on a larger scale. But the Enclave intervened again and took you prisoner at their headquarters, Raven Rock. You escaped your cell, like that was surprising, had a little discussion with our president, triggered the place's self-destruct and left without looking back."

"Raven Rock had to be destroyed! Do you know what Eden was planning?"

Candice shook her head.

"He wanted to poison the wasteland's water supply, try and kill off the mutants that were wandering around, 'cleanse' the entire D.C. area. That would've killed thousands of people in and around D.C.!"

Autumn didn't seem to care. She just laughed to herself, turned and started toward the door. "Sit here and wait for me, okay sweetheart? I've got a few things to take care of, namely your precious little apprentice. What was her name, Amata?"

He almost got a little angry that she would even target Amata, but then Michael regained his composure and smiled. "Good luck, then."

"Why would I need luck?"

"'Cause you can't take Amata."

Candice smiled and left, closing the door behind her. After she was gone, Michael began to fiddle with his pip-boy, trying to find the radio function. Once he heard the static resonate from his pip-boy's speaker, he knew he'd found the right tab and started going through the list of channels, looking for 782.101, the station he Amata and Butch agreed on as their emergency channel. He had to get a warning out to her before it was too late.

* * *

Candice laid out all of her equipment on a small steel table, and looked them over. There was her shock sword, silenced 10mm, a few fragmentation grenades, a syringe filled with her special sedative made from radscorpion poison glands and the prototype stealth suit the Enclave had been developing. She was all set.

"Knock, knock. You ready?" Gonzales said as he entered her chambers. Eric was the leader of Bravo unit, but now flew a different set of colors on his armor, red and black. He'd been a double agent within the Brotherhood of Steel for the Outcasts ever since they seperated from Lyons' bunch. A long time to be away from his comrades, all except for Newton Keller, who volunteered to go along on the undercover op. The op only got stranger when Candice allied herself with the Outcasts, just to try and crush the Brotherhood. "We want to leave soon, before that girl gets to the Brotherhood of Steel's new headquarters, or Newton loses track of her."

"There's no rush, Eric," Candice assured the man she'd been working with for quite some time. Out of everyone within the Brotherhood of Steel, Keller and Gonzales were the only two whose presence she enjoyed. They weren't like the others, with that obnoxious sense of self-righteousness. "Desmond only mentored that ditz for two months. The wasteland will probably get to her way before we can."

"And what if you're wrong?"

"But I'm not," she said as she undid the buttons of her shirt. "I've yet to be wrong in the near two years we've worked together."

"I wouldn't say that…" Gonzales turned around as her shirt hit the floor to give her at least a sense of privacy. She didn't seem to mind changing in front of the man, though, because she removed her shirt and pants without even a blush. She then removed her undergarments and slipped into skin tight stealth suit that she frequently wore when she went out. "How's the prisoner doing?"

"He's not going anywhere."

"Why're you holding him, again?"

"Because I want to see it … the look in his eyes…"

"What look?"

"You should know better than to ask too many questions with me, Eric," Candice said with a half-smile.

"You're a crazy chick, you know that? Really, why are we going through all of this trouble?"

She slid the sword into its sheath, her pistol into its holster and the grenades on her belt. "You're doing all of this for the benefit of the Outcasts, I'm doing it because, if I didn't use pursuing this guy as an excuse, I would've eaten a bullet a very long time ago."

That wasn't a joke. The thought of getting revenge on Michael Desmond was the only thing keeping Candice going, the only thing keeping her bound to the plain of the living. She sometimes whished, though, that she had just ended it much earlier rather than living with the pain in her chest.

She stepped up to Gonzales and asked, "How do I look?"

"Is that a serious question?"

"You are no fun. Come on, let's get going."

* * *

"Short brunette hair, about 5'11, traveling with a dog with gray fur…" Gonzales announced as he watched Amata through a pair of binoculars. She crept through moonlit downtown with Athena at her side, her rifle primed and ready. "That's her alright."

"That's Amata? It's my first time seeing her," Candice said as Eric handed her the binoculars.

"I can take her out from here…" Newton said, raising his sniper rifle.

"No, go on ahead of me and scout out GNR, see what kind of setup they have there," Candice told them. "I'll take her."

A small, cold splash of water hit Candice's nose and she turned her eyes to the sky. Thunder rumbled the earth beneath her feet and she closed her eyes, feeling the vibrations run through her bones. "We don't have a lot of time. A big storm's comin'…"

"We'll meet you at the rendezvous point in three hours," Gonzales told her. "If you aren't there by one-thirty, we're going to assume you're dead."

"A reasonable assumption."

With that, the girl activated her stealth tech and vanished. Gonzales turned to Keller and said, "No need in wasting time."

Amata walked with a quickened pace. She'd only left Megaton a few hours ago, but was making great progress. Athena trotted along beside her, ears bouncing up and down rhythmically. The K-9 stopped in her tracks and cocked her head to the side, listening to their environment.

"What's wrong, girl?" Amata asked the hound, half expecting an answer.

Just then she saw what Athena had been alerted to, a woman walking toward them down the highway. She was wearing a set of armor under a hooded cloth coat that flapped open in the wind. Amata tightened her grip on her rifle, but didn't openly oppose the traveler.

"Evening," the woman greeted with a smile.

Amata nodded to her. Thunder rang in the sky, signaling the impending storm that was slowly approaching. "Sounds like a bad storm tonight," the stranger said.

"Yeah…"

"I'm going to go find shelter somewhere. You can join me if you want, maybe try and get inside before it starts to pour."

Amata had planned on just walking through the storm, but Michael told her to never fight the elements. "Alright."

"My name's Candice, by the way."

"… Luna."

"Luna? Pretty name." Amata was smarter than Candice thought she would be. She gave an alias, much like Michael had when he traveled the wastes looking for his father. He only used his real name in Megaton and around those he trusted, and apparently he'd handed that some caution down to this girl.

The duo walked to a tiny shack that used to sell mirelurk meat, but had been empty since the owner died, coincidentally due to mirelurk related injuries. They entered and checked around for any bandits, and once they were satisfied, took seats on opposite sides of the shack.

"So, where ya' headed?" Candice asked, trying to lull Amata into a false sense of security or trust.

"To see some friends. How 'bout you?"

"Rivet City, looking for some mercenary work."

Two and a half hours had passed and the downpour was in full force now, pounding against the shack's roof and walls relentlessly. Candice watched, feigning sleep, as Amata, or Luna as she was told, slowly dosed off. She didn't want a drawn out battle, just to kill the girl in her sleep, nice and peacefully. She felt bad for dragging others people who had absolutely nothing to do with her seeking revenge against one person, but she had no choice. She didn't want Amata to suffer for her friend's mistake.

Once she was sure Amata was asleep, a blanket draped over her body and her head fallen to the side, without making even the slightest sound, Candice rose and put on her mask. She was as quiet as a shadow, moving across the shack to where Amata was sleeping. She was so silent that she didn't even wake the dog.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered imperceptibly.

Her sword silently and easily slid from its sheath. She drove it down toward Amata's neck, but as soon as the steel came close to Amata, her dodged left and several shots were fired from under the blanket that rested on her body. Two pinged off of her mask, but didn't penetrate the reinforced armor.

Candice jumped back as far as she could and reached for her pistol. The blanket was thrown from Amata's body and the inexperienced girl flipped a small table over for cover. Amata wasn't really given a lot of time to prepare for this woman. Michael had gotten a message out to Amata just before she ran into Candice, warning her that this assassin was coming. He told her what Candice Autumn looked like, what she was probably going to wear, and the weapons she'd wield. She knew what to expect but didn't have a plan yet.

Amata popped her upper torso out of cover and fired two rounds from her hunting rifle. The bullets just barely missed Candice, which was too close for her comfort. She fired several rounds into the table, hopefully hitting Amata at least once. When the younger girl rolled out of cover to return fire, she saw that the woman was gone and remembered what Michael told her about the stealth tech.

She watched for a moment, and saw the air ripple to her right. Turning her body like a swivel, Amata brought the rifle right to that spot and fired a single round. A little blood splattered on the wall and Amata smiled, knowing she'd winged the woman.

Candice reached for her side, where the high-caliber bullet had broken through her suit. She was shocked, and a little unprepared for someone being able to see through her stealth tech, which hadn't happened up until that point. This girl must've had good eyes. Candice bit her lip and turned her sword on, the blade begining to buzz with electricity. She charged forward, vaulted the table and swung the blade at Amata's head. The former Vault dweller fell backward, just barely getting away from the attack and raised her rifle. When she pulled the trigger, the gun jammed.

Candice smirked, and literally pounced on top of her prey. Amata was able to get her feet up and shove them into Candice's chest before she could attack and hastily attempted to un-jam her weapon, pulling the slide back. Candice rose again, flipped her sword over and chucked it at Amata like a spear. The sharp alloy tore through the wooden butt of Amata's rifle when she used the gun to deflect the attack.

Candice quickly drew her pistol again, but before she could pull the trigger, Athena jumped up and latched down on her right forearm with her sharp teeth. As Candice rained blows down onto the pooch's body, Amata continued to try and get her gun's barrel clear. After a while, she gave up, threw her rifle down and drew the switchblade she'd been fixing for Butch.

"Athena, heel!" Amata ordered. The dog released Candice just as Amata approached her flank. She stabbed the knife at her assailant's face, but the woman's left arm came up to block and the knife dug into her hand through to the other side.

Candice swung her other arm, blood running down it from the bite, and socked Amata in the face, breaking her nose. As Amata stumbled back, her head spinning, Candice reached up and pulled the knife from her hand, wishing she'd shot some psycho into her system before she tried this.

Athena came at her again, but when the dog came close, Candice swung her foot up and kicked the hound in the face. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned just in time to see Amata rushing her. She slammed her shoulder into Candice, intending to push her into the wall. Candice was too strong, though, and blocked the tackle. She wrapped her arms around Amata's chest lifted her up into the air with ease and drove Amata through one of the tables in the room.

Amata tried to get up, but her back hurt her too much. She rolled off of the destroyed wood and used her arms to push herself up. Before she could get to a vertical base, though, Candice came rushing over and drove her knee into Amata's side, maybe cracking a rib. Amata groaned and coughed, trying to pull air back into her lungs.

"I see you're not as much of a ditz as I thought you were…" Candice said, watching Amata squirm in pain.

Candice walked over to where her sword was lying and kicked it up to her hand which was covered in her own blood. She wiped some of it on the leg of her stealth suit and approached the defenseless Amata. Once she was close, Amata swung around on her back and swept Candice's legs with a swift kick. When the Enclave specialist hit the floor, Amata jumped on top of her and stabbed her in the neck with a syringe.

The vengeful woman slammed her fist into the side of Amata's head, and snatched the syringe from her skin. It was one of her own needles, filled with a radscorpion sedative. Her hand immediately went down to the belt where she kept her syringes and she found one missing.

"Sorry, I borrowed that from you when we were wrestling…" Amata said breathlessly.

"Fuckin' b-"

Candice was out cold before she could even finish her sentence. Amata almost collapsed from exhaustion, but she was victorious. Just barely. She walked over to Candice's still form and put two fingers to her jugular, searching for a pulse and found none. She assumed the woman was dead, made sure Athena was alright, and left the shack while the storm still raged.


	11. Bury Me in a Foxhole

**_One Year Earlier – Raven Rock_**

"The only fucking reason you're even being considered for selection, is because you're the Colonel's daughter and you know it! Otherwise, you'd be at home where you're supposed to be, probably cooking me a meal like you're dumb ass mothe-" Billy started.

That was what set Candice off. She jumped on Billy like a cat on a rat, pinning him to the weight room floor. The girl blugeouned his face so many times with her fist, it began to hurt. She switched hands and continued the relentless beating. It wasn't the first time she felt the urge to physically harm her fellow Enclave trooper prospect, but it was the first time she acted on that urge. Billy was sexist, racist, and violent, but he was also strong and smart, meaning he was perfect for the Enclave. By the time her friend, Terry, pulled Candice off of the young man, his nose was bloody, his eyelids swollen shut, and his bottom lip cracked open.

"Candice, that's enough! You're gonna' kill the bastard!" Terry warned her friend, holding her arms back to the best of her ability.

"I know!" is the only thing Candice said in response, continuing to struggle.

"… Tom … boy … bitches…" Billy was able to murmur.

"I can let her go, y'know!" Terry spat at the man. She calmed herself, spun Candice around so they were facing each other and placed her hands on the taller girl's shoulder. "Let's just calm down, okay? That sexist piece of shit isn't worth it. If you kill him, you'll be kicked out of the selection group."

"Terry, I'm not going to kill him…" Candice said, putting on a loving smile. "… I'm just gonna' cut his balls off and feed 'em to him."

"Sweetie, you can't do that either. You've already given him a severe enough beating, so let's just get back to the civilian quarter, and get something to eat."

Candice sighed, glancing over at the bloody mess that was Billy and smiled. She turned back to Terry, and said, "What would I do if we weren't friends, Terry? You're always looking out for me."

"Who knows. You'd get into trouble a lot more, I guess," Terry responded.

Terry and Candice had been best friends for a while, not since they first met, though. When the two were first introduced by their respective fathers who had been friends since their trooper days, the two girls despised each other, and actually got into several fights. Somehow, though, they grew on each other.

Terry was short, about 5"6, with dark, lightly freckled skin. Her light brown hair was knotted in two braids that fell down her back to her shoulder-blades. Although pretty and kind to her friends, the girl was tough as nails, just like her father.

Candice and Terry left the battered Billy in the weight room where he was lying and started to walk back too their apartment. "So have you had the chance to peek in on the prisoner the troopers just wrangled?" Terry asked.

"Yeah, I saw him when they were bringing him in," Candice responded. "When I asked my dad about him, and he just said" – Candice turned on her best impression of her father, which she did often – "'the boy's dangerous. He's a threat to our entire operation and has a sharp, manipulative mind, so I don't want you talking to him'."

"He didn't look all that dangerous to me. He actually looked like he was our age, maybe younger."

"Like one kid could do that much damage to an organization like the Enclave. I'm thinking about sneaking into his holding cell tonight, just to get a closer look at him. You wanna' tag along?"

"I have to. Who's gonna' distract the guard for you otherwise?"

"Good point."

"I'm telling mom," Candice and Terry heard a squeaky voice taunt. They turned around and saw Candice's younger sister Willow tailing them.

"Exactly why are you following us?" Candice asked her sibling.

"I'm spying on you two."

"Are you gonna' rat us out, squirt?" Terry asked.

"Don't call me squirt."

Terry folded her arms and asked, "Or else what … squirt?"

Willow furrowed her brow. "Or else I'll kick your ass!"

"Wow, them's fighting words. Hey, Candice, you remember when we were younger, and your sister would barge into your room and start annoying us?"

"And we'd tell her to leave, she'd say no."

"So we would hold her down and tickle her until she looked like she was going to puke."

"Yeah, those were good times…"

"Y'know, I'm feeling just a little nostalgic."

Willow's took a long step back. "Are you guys serious? Why don't you two act your age?"

Terry lunged at Willow and tried to grab the teenager. Willow took off in the other direction like her life depended on it and Terry gave chase. "Don't run; you'll just make it worse!" Terry shouted.

"Leave me alone, Terry!"

As the two zigzagged down the hall, Colonel Autumn approached, watching them in confusion. Candice turned to her father and said, "Hello, Colonel."

"Prospect Autumn. How are you this evening?"

"Fine, sir. And you?"

Colonel Autumn shrugged stiffly. "Exactly what are those two doing?" he asked.

Willow retreated to her father's side and said, "Dad, help!"

"Oh, good afternoon, Colonel," Terry said, throwing up a crisp salute when she saw the leader of the Enclave's military force. "I didn't see you there."

"At ease, Prospect Paris," the Colonel said. "What are you two doing?"

"Dad, Terry was harassing me," Willow whined.

"Did you start it Willow, as usual?"

"No!"

"She did," Candice said.

"Oh, well, then. Carry on, Prospect Paris."

"What?!" Willow asked, pulling on her father's coat. "You can't do that!"

"I suggest you run," Colonel Autumn told his youngest, patting her on the head.

Terry roared and started running after Willow again. While they ran around, Candice turned to her father and said, "Sir, may I ask a question?"

"What is it?"

"Who's the guy that the troopers brought in?"

"I've already told you, Candice, he's dangerous. He killed several of our men before we apprehended him. I don't want you or Willow going anywhere near that man unless I say otherwise, understood?"

"Yes sir."

* * *

_Present Day_

* * *

Newton spun a white cloth bandage around Candice's arm after disinfecting the wound. The bite wasn't too bad, so it probably wouldn't impair her movement. Gonzales came into the room and looked at Candice who avoided his eyes.

"Y'know, you're lucky we found you when we did, or else you would've bled-out in your unconscious state," he said.

"She caught me off guard…" Candice told him.

"How? You're a highly trained Enclave scout. How the hell did a girl who's barely had any formal training take you down?"

"I … I brought her to a shack, talked to her for a while, and when she fell asleep, I went for her jugular."

"And that didn't fly, why?"

"She wasn't really asleep…"

"You had about a thousand opportunities to kill her, but you wanted to talk first?"

"I don't like dragging all these people into my personal problems! If I'm going to kill an innocent girl, a girl who didn't do a damn thing to me, I want to at least know her name, a little bit about her..."

"You're just making it harder on yourself by doing that."

Candice felt a headache coming on and rubbed her temple with her free hand. "What're the kids doing?"

"The girl hissed a bunch but didn't really say much else when I checked on her."

"What about Desmond?"

"He just asked how you were doing. I think he knows that brunette beat your ass."

"… What'd Casdin say about hitting GNR?"

"We're going tonight. Protector Casdin doesn't want you to tag along, though. He thinks that you're a liability."

"Casdin doesn't care for me, does he?"

"No."

"Well, fine. I guess this is the end of our working together, huh?"

"I guess so…"

"You two weren't completely unpleasant to be around."

"Wish we could say the same."

"Fuck you."

* * *

Amata finished with a huff, and observed the looks on everyone's faces. Every member of the Lyons' Pride, except for the commander and second, stood before her. Also present in the room was Elder Lyons, Scribe Rothschild, Three Dog, Athena and her brother Apollo.

"The Outcasts are probably responsible for their kidnapping," Dusk said.

"That is some crazy shit," Three Dog commented.

"How do you want to handle this, Elder?" Colvin asked their leader.

The man had been silent the entire time, slowly stroking his beard. Amata had expected him to respond with a little more energy, demanding that they go out and find his daughter. But, Elder Lyons just stood, appearing to consider their options.

The Elder didn't respond, so Kodiak spoke up. "… Do you have any idea where they might've been taken…?" he said looking to Amata.

She shook her head. Amata had never felt more powerless in her life.

"Well that's just great…" Kodiak replied.

Amata leaned against the old wall of Three Dog's little studio room, where all of his radio equipment was. She ran both hands through her short hair in frustration. As she did, her pip-boy brushed against her face … and had an epiphany.

"Wait! Do you have any kind of tracking or mapping equipment?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah we do. Rather, we did," Rothschild said. "Most of our equipment was completely destroyed during the destruction of the Citadel, obviously, but we were able to salvage some things."

"Can I use them?"

"I suppose…" Rothschild led Amata to the small room on the upper floor where they kept the computers. "We used to keep track of the Vault locations and the locations of several important pieces of technology-"

"But I can use this to find Michael," Amata interrupted. She pulled a long wire from the side of her pip-boy and plugged it directly into the system. Amata typed commands into the keyboard, search protocols mostly. Suddenly several small dots appeared on the image of the Capitol Wasteland on screen.

"What've you done there?" Rothschild asked. He was fairly surprised the young lady was able to sync up the device she wore of her arm with the Brotherhood's systems so easily and quickly.

"I'm tracking every single pip-boy in D.C. area." Most of the dots on screen were clustered around the Vault's locations. At the moment there were about a hundred and fifty marks on screen. Amata specified the search to just 3000 model pip-boys and all of the dots on screen disappeared except for one. "Got him!"

The building was deep within the downtown area, in supermutant territory. Amata unplugged her pip-boy and ran for the door.

"Wait, young lady!" Elder Lyons said. He walked up to Amata and took her hands in his. "I'd like you to relay a message to my daughter when you find her. I ask you this only because I fear I won't be able to tell her myself."

"… What do you mean?"

"The Outcasts are on their way here. They seek to destroy us," he said. The Elder stared straight into Amata's eyes as he spoke. "My intent was to surrender to them, but the men and women of the Brotherhood do not wish to bow to the Outcasts. They would rather die fighting and if they die, then I would die beside them."

"Oh…" was all Amata could think to say.

"So I ask you this favor. Please … give her this." He placed a small data-card in her hand and closed it around the piece of old tech.

"I'll do it."

"I thank you. Now you should go before the Outcasts arrive."

Amata placed her hand on the Elder's shoulder sympathetically and ran off. Once she was gone, Owen looked to Three Dog and said, "It's about time for you to go as well. The wasteland still needs you…"

The DJ's bags were already packed and he looked sadly at the men and women standing before him. "Oh, the stories I'll tell about you all," Three Dog said. "The wasteland will know about who you are, I'll make sure of it."

Three Dog left as well, though reluctantly. Now the Brotherhood of Steel was ready, ready for their last stand. Lyons accepted the laser rifle that Kodiak handed him, the first time he handled a weapon for years.

"Are you ready Elder?" Kodiak asked. "They'll probably be here any minute."

"Let them come, Kodiak. Let them come…"

* * *

Amata arrived at the building her pip-boy's map led her to, a tall office with the words "Bethesda" on the side. There wasn't anyone guarding the door so she wondered if she had the right address. Amata shouldered her rifle, and slowly walked to the door, trying to stick to the shadows that the buildings cast from the moonlight. There were still a lot of supermutants downtown, and she wanted to avoid as many as possible.

She turned the knob of the front door and stepped inside. There was a small waiting room with round desk on the right side of the room beside the wall. The dust that floated in the air got caught up in her windpipe and Amata coughed into her fist. She looked down and saw there were several pairs of boot-prints left on the dusty floor.

Amata headed up the staircase at the back of the room, staring down the sights of her rifle as she went along. There was a light coming from beneath one of the doors at the end of the hall, so Amata stood next to the door, took a deep breath and kicked it open. She stormed into the room, her finger hovering over the trigger of her gun. Her shoulders slumped. It was empty, except for the chair in the middle of the room that was drilled to the floor, a pip-boy resting on its seat.

Amata fell to her knees, all the energy that was holding her up leaving her. "I'm too late. I can't believe it…"

Athena whined. She seemed just as disappointed as Amata was. She'd almost forgotten that the K-9 had accompanied her.

_She's got one helluva' nose on her._

Amata remembered Michael telling her that once before. He told her that Athena and Apollo had an amazing sense of smell, even for dogs. She snatched up the lonely pip-boy and put it before Athena's face.

The pooch looked up at Amata and tilted her head slightly – almost physically asking what the woman wanted her to do. "Find Michael. Lead me to where she took him," Amata said, hoping Athena understood.

Athena sniffed at the piece of pre-war technology. She then brought her nose to the air and moved her head around. She froze for a second, like she'd gotten a hold of something, and then turned toward the door. She'd gotten the scent, Amata was sure of it.

"Good girl," Amata said as she followed Athena out of the building.

* * *

Candice shoved Michael to the concrete, his hands restrained behind his back, and put her boot to his back. She stood beside Sarah who was down on one knee, being held by her blonde hair. Sarah could really do much to fight back, considering her left arm was still in a sling and Candice had a pistol tightly gripped in her hand.

Michael observed their surroundings and saw that she'd brought him and Sarah to an intersection somewhere downtown. He glanced back at Candice, watching the straight look on her face, trying to get a feel for what she was thinking.

"Nice place you've brought us to…" Michael remarked. "I always enjoyed moonlit strolls through the wastes."

"I'm glad you like it. This is the place that I picked to end this little game of mine…" she smiled. "My sister and I would sneak away from the rest of our class exploration group and run around. Me, my sister, my best friend, my boyfriend… all of us. It was like our little getaway. I thought it was kind of fitting to end things here."

"You've finally mustered up the guts to just kill me?"

"Why would I kill you?"

She put the pistol to Sarah's skull and the wicked smile she wore vanished. Michael scowled. "… Put the gun away. Now."

Candice pulled the hammer back. "No…"

"Sarah didn't do anything to you!"

"No, but you did! And, from the look of things, you love blondie here."

"She's got nothing to do with me and you."

"Believe it or not, she's got everything to do with us. Because you took everything I love away from me, I'm going to do the same to you… If I blast her brains outta' her head right now, how would that effect you? Would you slip into depression? Would you want to kill yourself? If I took away the only thing you've got left, what would you do?"

"I'd kill you."

"Exactly! I'd become the only thing you could think about. You'd lust after my blood like a feral beast. I bet you'd prefer to die with her… instead of living without her." Candice's bottom lip quivered and her eyes glossed over.

"You're not talking about me anymore… You have survivor's guilt…"

"I wouldn't feel like this if it wasn't for you!" Candice proclaimed, screaming at the top of her lungs. "How come you walked out of Raven Rock alive? Why didn't you die with the rest of them?!"

"Listen, I'm sorry about your family, but-"

"But nothing. Blood begets blood. That's how it works."

Michael inhaled deeply, gathering his thoughts. "You're right. I took all you had away from you. But I want you to leave Sarah out of this. If you're gonna' take anyone's blood, take mine."

"Shut up, Mike! Stop trying to be a hero!" Sarah chastised.

"I'm not being a hero; I'm trying to save your life. Try being a little more grateful."

"It's hard to be grateful when you're basically saying, 'Hey, shoot me in the head instead of her'. Is that really the best thing you could come up with?"

"I'm sorry Sarah, but if you haven't noticed, she's got us by the balls here."

"Speak for yourself."

Candice pulled Michael up to his feet and placed the barrel of her pistol to his forehead, the steel cold against his skin. The Enclave woman ignored whatever Sarah said and focused on Michael. There wasn't fear present in his sleep-deprived eyes. Just like there was no remorse to be found in hers. When Sarah reached for Candice with her free hand, the woman spun around, striking her across the face with the steel in her hand.

She turned her attention back to Michael who still stood beside her. She returned the gun to his forehead and watched his expressionless face. His shirt fell open at the collar and Candice could see his chest, and the charm hanging from his neck. A mirelurk tooth hanging from a string, the pendant was very unique in appearance. It was the very first time she'd ever really paid it any attention.

"Having second thoughts?" Michael asked her with a mocking tone. The insult didn't seem to register though.

Candice snatched the pendant and brought it up to her eyes without a word. She obsessed over it, even taking the gun from Michael's head.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Are you serious? What the hell happened to killing me? Now we're talking about fashion?"

"Answer me!" she barked.

"It's my good luck charm. Someone gave it to me."

"… Tell me who gave it to you."

"Why?"

"Tell me who or I swear to god" – the gun went to Sarah's head once again – "I'll blow her pretty little face off!"

"Alright! A woman I helped when I was at Raven Rock gave it to me!"

Tears were streaming down Candice's face. "How'd you help her?"

* * *

_One Year Earlier_

* * *

The place was set to blow and Michael didn't think he could run any faster, not while being shot at by every Enclave officer that happened to see him. His assault rifle was on its final clip and his power armor, the first set he'd ever had, was shot to hell. Michael was determined to make it out of the place, though. One way or another.

Michael took the next left down the hall and came face to face with a pair of Enclave soldiers, both wielding plasma weapons. Instead of opening fire on him, the two soldiers ran past him, tossing their weapons aside.

"Guess they don't want to get blown up…" Michael said, smiling at their similar ways of thinking.

He turned and saw a woman walking from where'd the two soldiers had come. She was a beautiful middle-aged woman with long black locks. She looked to Michael as she ran and stopped in her tracks. The clothes she was wearing, dark green cargo pants and matching colored shirt, suggested she was Enclave.

"… Hi," Michael said awkwardly over the blaring self-destruct alarms. "It's probably best if you got outta' here Ms. This place isn't going to be un-exploded for long."

"You're the boy the captured…" she whispered.

"You're not gonna' shoot me, are you?"

"You have to help me; no one else will!" she almost begged. "I'm looking for my daughter!"

"O-okay, come on!" Michael said, waving the woman over. "Do you know where she was last?"

"She was in class. The classrooms are this way."

The woman ran off down one of the halls and Michael trailed behind her. "Why don't you ask an officer to help you instead of, y'know, the guy they were holding prisoner?" he asked.

"I didn't have anyone else to turn to! The officers are only concerned getting as much equipment out as possible. One told me that they have more important things to worry about. God, when my husband hears about this…"

As they were looking for the correct classroom, a sentrybot wheeled in front of them. Its scanners first found Michael, and recognized him in the database as hostile. It didn't even care who was standing beside him, just opened fire with its automatic cannon.

Michael grabbed the concerned mother and pulled her into his body, trying to cover her from the hail of bullets, and dove for cover. He felt two stinging pains in his back as he went into the doorway. He was actually fairly lucky that he wasn't hit by more than just two bullets, but he didn't feel lucky. They two armor piercing rounds just ate through his suit.

He ignored the pain and pulled a plasma grenade he found on an Enclave officer he'd killed just ten minutes ago. Pressing the button, Michael chucked it to where the sentrybot stood. It exploded in green heat directly beneath the machine, disintegrating it from the bottom up.

When he was sure the thing was inactive, Michael turned to the woman he was escorting. She was lying on the floor beside him, blood pouring from the hole in her abdomen. She must've taken a stray round. Michael immediately applied pressure to the wound and began talking to her to try and keep her awake.

"Shit, you're gonna' be alright. I just need to find a stimpack somewhere, and then you'll be just fine," he told her.

She coughed roughly and said, "You're sweet for lying to a worried mother. You obviously know that a simple stimpack won't be enough to fix … this."

"I-I'll look for your daughter for you. I'll find her," Michael swore.

"I appreciate your kindness but there's no time. Raven Rock is just a few minutes away from destruction. You need to get out of here." Michael felt guilty since he was indeed the one that triggered the explosion. "Just promise that if you find my daughter on your way out, you'll guide her to safety…"

"I promise."

"Thank you. Before you go, take this," she said, reaching up and removing her necklace. She placed it in Michael's hand and said weakly, "Hopefully this'll bring you a little luck…" Michael smiled in appreciation and accepted the gift. "Now go."

* * *

_Present Day_

* * *

"You're lying…" Candice said decidedly. "You have to be…"

"I told you, if I knew that there were civilians at Raven Rock, I would've tried to find another way," Michael said.

"Dammit…"

"I'm sorry."

"You don't get to be sorry!" she screamed.

"I lost a lot too, you know! I haven't exactly had an easy life!" Michael shouted back. "My mother died giving birth to me, my father died while all I could do was watch. I killed the man that was responsible for his death, but it didn't make me feel any better, it didn't bring anyone back to life, didn't make my life any more pleasurable to live! I had to carve out a new existance out here, in this hell. I met people like Sarah and her father, I found places like the Citadel where I fit. You can do the same thing..."

The barrel of Candice's weapon was placed to Michael's forehead again. He stared defiantly at her, almost daring her to pull the trigger. They stood in this stalemate for at least a minute before Candice lowered her firearm. She reached around Michael's back and unlatched his restraints. He was actually surprised she'd just set him free, rubbing his pained wrists.

As Candice took a seat on the ground, Amata took the woman out of the sights of her rifle. She'd been at the edge of the courtyard, ready to fire, but now didn't have the need to. Amata stood and slowly approached the three.

"... Are you two okay?" Amata asked.

Miichael glanced over at her, and said, "Yep. Thanks for coming for us."

"Amata, how'd you find us?" Sarah asked as Amata helped her up.

"It doesn't matter…" she replied. Amata looked at Candice and said, "We've gotta' go. The Brotherhood's in a bit of trouble."

Michael looked down at Candice. He knew he could've easily been just like her, a miserable soul in this miserable land. He felt pity for her, and a little kinship. He knelt down before her and removed the necklace he'd been given and placed it around her neck, with no resistance.

"That woman in Raven Rock was your mother, wasn't it? This was hers."

Candice nodded slowly.

"I know it doesn't mean anything to you, but I'm sorry," Michael said.

Michael turned and walked off with his two friends and his dog at his sides. As they left the square, they heard a single shot fired. When Amata tried to turn around to see where it came from, Michael grabbed her and kept her facing forward. He didn't want her to confirm what he and Sarah already knew.


	12. Heavan and Hell

Defender Gonzales threw Elder Lyons to the ground right at Protector Casdin's feet. The old man's forces had put up an admirable effort, but in the end were overpowered by the Outcasts and their machines.

Casdin looked down at Lyons as he struggled to stand. "Elder Lyons, we're taking you back to the Brotherhood's main HQ so you can face the consequences of abandoning your mission objective."

"You, Casdin, believe that the mission is the most important thing? What about the people we see suffering around us?"

Casdin's expression grew cold. "That's not my concern. The Brotherhood of Steel's job, and you know this better than anyone, is to find dangerous pieces of technology and keep out of the wrong hands."

"Do we let the world around us die in the process? Forsake its denizens?"

That seemed to get through to Casdin at first, but the Protector just turned to one of his subordinates and said, "Secure the area; I want anyone still living in shackles and ready for transport in ten."

"Sir."

Michael observed Casdin standing before the Elder as two Outcasts slapped cuffs on him through a pair of binoculars. The situation looked bleak. There were at least a dozen Outcasts, five sentrybots and five securitrons. Since Sarah was working with one arm, it was really just up to Amata and Michael to free Owen, and they weren't looking at good odds.

"We need help," Michael said, stating the obvious.

"And where would we find it?" Amata asked.

"Over there?" Michael said, pointing toward a narrow alleyway. Amata took the binoculars and looked in that direction. Standing there, in almost complete darkness, she saw Xander, Colvin and Kodiak, crouched down and peeking around the corner. They must've flanked around the back of the radio station. They must've been separated from the main group somehow.

"Okay, so there's five of us. Now we just need a strategy. How about some of us draw the Outcasts fire, while you go and try to get the Elder?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Sarah asked. "You're not doing this without me, Mike."

Michael pulled Sarah away from Amata and said, "Don't start this, you're not doing a damn thing with that bum arm!"

"It's my father!"

"And in any other situation, I'd never deny you this, but Sarah, you're not even close to being one hundred percent. If anything ever happened to you, your father would never forgive me… Shit, I'd never forgive myself." Michael gave Sarah and tight hug, avoiding applying any pressure to her injured arm, and said, "I'll get him back, I promise."

Before Sarah could respond, Michael walked back over to Amata. "You ready?"

"Yep."

"Sneak over to the others and tell them what we're planning. When I give you the signal, open fire and draw as many Outcasts over to your position as possible."

"Got it." Amata ran off into the darkness, bleeding into the shadows effortlessly. Michael always told her that her best option for survival was to avoid detection, and she seemed to take that lesson to heart. Before Michael even knew it, she was on the other side of the GNR courtyard, talking what were probably the only living members of the Brotherhood of Steel.

Michael crouched low and turned his eyes toward the GNR building steps, where Casdin stood with Lyons. If Michael could just get over there and free the Elder, he figured they could all retreat and get a better game plan for taking the fight back to the Outcasts.

He gave Amata a thumbs up when he was sure she was looking in his direction. She and the others opened fire on the Outcasts all throughout the courtyard. Michael moved with the swiftness of a deathclaw, sprinting toward the building, his eyes locked on Casdin and Lyons. He shoved past an Outcast Defender whose head was just penetrated by an extremely precise bullet, still unnoticed by the Outcasts. By the time one of the Outcasts sentrybots centered Michael in its sights, he was already halfway up the stairs to the Elder.

Casdin was too slow in reacting and paid for it. Michael unsheathed his knife, closed the distance and drove it straight into one of the power armor's weak-spots, right between the helmet and the torso, where there was next to nothing protecting the neck and Casdin dropped like bag of sand.

Michael knelt beside the Elder and took a few shots with the plasma rifle he took from Casdin's corpse from their exposed position. The Outcasts were slowly starting to advance on them, using the sentrybots as mobile cover.

Sarah watched the whole thing, her comrade's positions slowly crumble. She needed to do something to help, bum arm or not. She looked around and saw, just a few feet away, in a dead Knight's arms, rested a rocket launcher with a missile still in the launch tube. She hoisted the launcher up with a single arm onto her shoulder and held it there. Centering the pair of sentrybots that were advancing on Michael and her father, she pulled the trigger.

The launcher almost flew from her grasp as the missile rocketed from the launcher and hit between the war-machines, blowing both of them apart. Now they had an opening.

Michael waved over to Amata and shouted, "Let's fall back!"

After Amata took out a securitron, she and her team ran toward the courtyard exit. Michael and Xander took up the rear, providing cover fire for the team as they retreated. Once they were clear of the courtyard, they all just took off running.

"Where are we going?" Amata asked.

"We've gotta' head back to the Chevy Chase and get underground. We can take the Tenleytown tunnels and head back to Megaton," Michael replied.

Amata could hear something strange, like an engine behind them. She glanced back and saw a vertibird in the air, following them. At first she thought it was Lucy with its cowboy pilot, but then she looked a little closer and didn't see the pinup painted on the side. It was Outcast.

A hail of bullets rained down from attack chopper. Michael grabbed a hold of Sarah, who'd been beside him, and shoved her with all his might toward Amata, knocking the two of them back.

Amata took two hits to her leather armor and one that cut right through her upper thigh. She was just barely able to make out the others out of the corner of her eye. Kodiak and Colvin took half a dozen shots a piece and collapsed without a sound, dead. Kodiak dropped the Elder, who he had been carrying on his shoulders, and was filled with enough led to kill a supermutant.

Michael fell to his knees, bloody holes all over his body. He turned his eyes to Sarah just before the rest of his body dropped. Sarah let out a deafening scream, one that was even heard over the vertibird's guns. Amata couldn't believe what she was seeing, what was happening before her.

Michael turned his head so he was facing her. Amata saw him mouth the word, "Run".

She grabbed Sarah and pulled her with all of her might into one of the metro tunnels with Xander, carrying the rocket launcher following closely behind. They didn't have a choice but to leave the dead, otherwise they'd join them. Amata was working without thinking now, like her mind shut itself off and was flying on autopilot. Sarah, on the other hand, was wrecked, and understandably so.

Sarah shook in Amata's arms as she helped her along, sobbing loudly as they worked their way through the underground.

* * *

_Two Years Earlier – Vault 101 – The Day Before Departure_

* * *

The freezing cold icepack pained Michael face, but not more than the black-eye that Wally Mack had given him. Granted, Michael asked for the beating he received from the Tunnel Snake. Mack had been making fun of the fact that Michael's mother was deceased, so he told Mack to meet him in the class room after midnight. The ensuing fight didn't go in Michael's favor.

"Does it hurt bad?" Susie Mack asked, leaning down to look at the bruise.

"Yeah, but it's my fault for not dodging your brother's left hook… I saw it coming from a mile and a half away," he said.

"I'm sorry my brother's such a bastard," Susie said, sitting at the desk across from where Michaels sat. "… He probably didn't mean the things he said…"

"It's fine, I shoulda' just ignored him."

"No, it's not fine. My brother and his idiot friends have been torturing you and Amata for a good while now."

Michael had been at war with the Tunnel Snakes since their formation. He'd pranked them, they'd beat him; he'd outsmart them, they'd beat him; he'd insult them, they'd beat him. It went on like that for nine years.

"Wally was pissed when I told him I was coming down here to check on you," Susie said.

"Why?"

"He thinks that I have a crush on you or something."

"He's too dense to notice the little thing you have for Freddie?"

"Wally's not the most observant person in the world…"

"Obviously."

Amata burst into the barely lit chamber, and stood there with bawled fists. "Hey. I got hit…" Michael smiled, making light of his rather severe beating.

"… He wasn't lying…" Amata said.

"Wha-"

She smacked Michael across the right side of his face, returning the throbbing pain that had started to subside. "What the hell?!" Michael cringed, holding his face. "You couldn't have slapped me on the left side?!"

"Wally told me what you two've been doing!" Amata said.

Michael looked at her confusingly. "What're you talking about?"

He looked over at Susie and finally got it. "Whoa, hold on, Susie and I haven't been-"

"Don't lie to me! … He said it's been going on for months…"

Mr. Brotch had assigned Michael and Susie as lab partners in their last semester of school, so he had to go to the Mack residence often to do homework. Amata probably never thought twice about it. Wally Mack probably made up something after he beat Michael up.

"Are you seriously going to listen to a Tunnel Snake?" Michael asked. "This is really about the thing with Christine Kendall, isn't it? I told you, she kissed me."

"That's not what Christine keeps saying!"

"Of course it isn't! Why would she admit that she came onto me?!"

"Amata, my brother lied to you," Susie said, trying to help the situation. "We haven't done anything. I don't have feelings for Michael."

Amata's eyes were red and teary. She ignored anything that came out of Susie's mouth. "Michael, we are done. I don't want you to ever speak to me again…"

With that, Amata turned and left the room. Michael went after her, but when he caught her, she just screamed expletives at him and ran off. He'd never seen her so upset with him. He'd also never been so pissed at the Tunnel Snakes. He was going to kick Wally's teeth in, if it was the very last thing he did.

"I-I'll try and talk to her…" Susie said, running after Amata.

Michael wanted to reconcile with Amata, but never got the chance to. The next day, he was forced to pursue his father.

* * *

_Present Day_

* * *

They'd made it out the train tunnels and into the early morning day light. Amata looked around for any sign of the Outcasts but found none. Xander just assumed that they'd gone about their business since Casdin was dead.

"We should get somewhere safe…" Amata said. She carried a hint of sadness in her voice that she attempted to conceal. "We can go to Megaton and-"

The vertibird appeared in the sky once again, barreling toward the trio, cutting through the clouds. Amata looked around for a place with ample cover and saw that there was a power station just a ways away. She brought it to Xander's attention and they ran for it, Sarah bringing up the rear. She kept glancing back at chopper as it fired its chain-gun at them.

"Toss me the launcher!" Amata said to Xander.

He threw it to her and Amata spun around on her heels at it came into her arms. She dropped down to one knee, aimed right at the vertibird's cockpit and fired. The missile soared through the air, leaving a grey trail of smoke in its wake. At the very last second, the vertibird banked and the missile zoomed past the flyer.

The launcher fell from Amata's arms in disappointment and they took off running again.

"What do we do now?!" Xander asked. He fired several shots from his pistol up at the chopper.

Sarah looked up at the radio tower near the power station and had an idea. She sped past the power station and ran for the tower. Sentinel Lyons gripped her combat knife in between her teeth and began climbing with her one good arm. She climbed until she was level with the chopper bay doors which hung open.

Amata figured out what Sarah was trying to do. "What is she doing up there?" Xander asked.

"Just shoot at the damn chopper!" Amata said, planting her feet and firing away at the windshield.

The vehicle turned toward the two and started spinning its chain-gun once again. Sarah took a deep breath, and threw herself from the tower, sailing through the air toward the bird. She landed both feet in the chopper, her balance shifting slightly as she tried to climb in. The pilot turned his head around when heard her boots hitting the interior floor and swore. He picked up the sub-machinegun that sat in the co-pilots seat and fired a burst at her.

Sarah ducked and ran right at him. She swung her leg up as he tried to get a clear shot at her, kicking his hand and knocking the weapon free. Sarah opened her mouth, letting the knife fall free, caught it in her right hand, reached around the pilot's seat and drove it into his chest, right where his heart was. The man's other hand which rested on the flight stick went limp, spinning the chopper out of control.

Amata watched as it spun in the air at a whiplash speed and smashed into the radio tower not thirty feet away. She covered her head as fiery debris came crashing down all around her and Xander.

The last shovelful of dirt was packed onto the final grave dug. Xander tossed the tool down and spat, like he could actually get the sour taste in his mouth out by doing so. Amata stood with a handful of holo-tags, including ones belonging to Star Paladin Michael "Wolf" Desmond, and Sentinel Sarah Lyons.

Neither of them knew what to do with the tags, so Amata just laid them on each of the respective graves and left it at that. Xander looked over at her and asked, "Should one of us say something?"

"What's there to say?"

Xander shrugged. "So what're you going to do now?" he asked.

"I'm leaving… There's nothing for me here. How about you?"

"Well, I'll see what good I can do. Probably see if Vault City has any places to stay in."

"A big guy like you, bringing your own armor and weapons? I'm sure the Overseer will love you. You'll probably get slapped with guard duty or patrol or something like that."

"… Right now, simple guard duty sounds like heaven…"

Amata hoisted Michael's old duffle-bag and a book-bag with all of the things she was taking with her in it. She turned and shook Xanders hand, then gave him a hug. "Bye, Xander."

"You be careful out there, Amata. Alright?"

"I will…"

Amata turned to walk away, but stopped and glanced over at Sarah and Michael's graves. They were buried beside each other. Michael and Sarah taught her a lot, everything she needed to be independent. She could go out into the American Wasteland now, do a little wandering of her own, and try to find her place.

She walked, Athena at her side and her hunting rifle in her hands, disappearing into the horizon, leaving the Capitol Wasteland and her old life behind. She was going to start a new life somewhere else. She didn't know where she was going or when she would get there, just picked a direction and started walking…

* * *

**{A/N - _New Vector: Wolf_, one of the follow-ups to Blood Stained Steel is already up. If you liked this, then check it out. It's an original story (y'know, besides the fact that it takes place in the fallout universe), so it's going to be paced differently, and full of OC's. The main character, though will be a familiar face if you've finished Blood Stained Steel, *COUGHAMATACOUGH*. Thanks for reading. LATER.}**


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